The Vow
by DONOVAN94
Summary: Shen's story began when a swan, Lady Lianne, came to Gongmen City, as his intended bride. When she arrives, things are not as perfect as they seem, however. But for better or for worse, Shen will not be swayed from obtaining what he wants, and Lianne will unknowingly lead him towards his destiny: either into the light of redemption, or further down the path of darkness.
1. Of Swans and Peacocks

**Author's Note: Hello everyone, thank you for coming to read! Shen has recently been on my mind - A LOT. So much so, that my mind would not rest until this story popped out of my fingers, ran through the keys and onto my computer screen. So I hope you enjoy! **

**Okay, this was originally going to be a crossover, but I changed it in order to suit the story purposes much better. For my OC character, Lianne, I use Odette's swan form in the movie "The Swan Princess" as a 'body', I just think she's a really beautiful bird. And there will be a few themes from that movie coming into this story at certain points. Nothing too major, but enough to give the story more flavour.**

**Please review and tell me what you think, this story has been pulling on my heart strings for ages, BEGGING me to write it, and I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I have writing it. Thank you!**

* * *

The Vow

* * *

One – Of Swans and Peacocks

* * *

"Marriage?!"

Shen stood there, absolutely speechless as he stared at his parents, his father, Lord Goa, sitting upon his huge throne made of gold with large sapphires and diamonds encrusted into the design, all to match the Lord's beautiful blue and emerald green feathers. His wife, the Lady Jing and Shen's mother, stood beside him, her turquoise feathers of her neck fading into pink around her face. They were both looking at him with frustration as well as an awkward guilt.

"You cannot be serious?!" Shen muttered, his confusion and mild outrage evident on his face as he tried not to glare at his parents.

"I'm afraid we're absolutely serious, Shen," his father told him in a tired voice as he rubbed the bridge of his beak between two feathers. "Lord Chang of the Shēnghuó Province wishes for you to court his daughter, the young Lady Lianne,"

"And you agreed?" he asked incredulously.

"Shēnghuó is one of the wealthiest provinces in China," Lord Goa explained to his son, obviously affected by his son's distress as well as the situation. "To waste such an opportunity would be foolish," Shen was infuriated by the fact that his father wouldn't even look him in the eye as he said the words.

"I don't even know her!" he spat angrily, starting to pace in front of the throne as his anger boiled inside of him. "And if such an opportunity is so _fortunate_, then why isn't the marriage already arranged?! Why are we standing here when the gifts, and letters, and gowns, and vows should already be being exchanged by now! And why is she coming here? Surely I wouldn't need to see her until the _joyous occasion_ of the wedding!" he raged, his tantrum causing him to run out of breath so that he was left there heaving.

"Peace, young one," came the calm and monotone voice of Ah-Ma, the Soothsayer of the court. Shen turned his head slightly to see the old goat sitting upon her rug at the bottom of the stairs of the dais, swirling a bowl of ashes in her hooves. Shen felt his feathers already begin to settle as he beheld the serene face of his childhood nanny; she always had that effect on him, and it almost irked him at that moment. The Soothsayer fixed him with her gold eyes. "The Lady Lianne is being sent here by her father for both of your benefit,"

"Sweetheart," his mother's kind voice spoke up softly, as she took a half step towards her son. "We understand that this must seem… _unfair_… but the reason that we tell you this now, is because this is only a proposition at this moment in time,"

"I don't understand…" Shen murmured, eyes shifting between the three figures suspiciously.

"We are not so cruel as to marry you off to a complete stranger, Shen," his father stated, and Shen felt the briefest flash of shame enter his chest at how his father had brought out his very thoughts. "Neither does Lord Chang wish to wed his only daughter off unless she consents. So, an agreement was formed, for matters that are Lord Chang's and Lady Lianne's business, she is being sent here to live with us in Gongmen City. During which time, the pair of you will get to know each other. And, if after one year, neither of you shows interest in the other, then the deal is off."

"Good. Then I say now: No." Shen immediately snapped, wanting to turn on his heal and storm from the room, but his father rose to his feet, tail feathers twitching as if threatening to open them in a powerful display. That was enough to make Shen pause, he was wary enough of his father's anger not to move, even if he knew it took a lot more then this to make him truly angry.

"Shen, some effort must be put into this before the verdict can be given. You must at least _try_ to get along with her, or else Chang may feel that we have dishonoured him in some way, and we can't afford to scorn him. He provides much food to Gongmen City through trade. So at least try."

Shen wanted to scream, to shout and rant, to hit something and to completely tear down the Tower brick by brick in his rage! He wanted so badly to show how much this displeased him, but no matter what, his father's words stuck in his head, reminding him of what was at stake and his own mind telling him what could be gained from this. He just couldn't bring himself to the point of utter refusal, for he knew his parents would not persist if he truly did not wish it, but his father had wormed his way inside his head. And he hated it!

All he had to do was tolerate one female. One year, that was it! If she truly was as pompous and vain as he predicted, then all he had to do was suffer her presence for a selected amount of time each day, neither of them would want this marriage and so it would be called off. He may even be lucky and get an early break. And if by some miracle she was a docile _imbecile_ able to sit quietly in a corner, then he would have a lot to gain and nothing to lose. Despite his want to refuse out of pride and pure spite, the strategist in Shen's mind couldn't ignore the opportunity.

"She's coming today?" He asked tightly, his beak clenched in order to stop himself from growling and snarling like one of his wolves.

"Yes," his mother said softly, trying to placate his anger. "She will be here by sunset, or so the messenger said."

"And you're only telling me this now?" he glared at them.

"It was on short notice," his father explained. "We only received the arrangements of the deal a few weeks ago, and then only two and a half days ago did we receive word that she had left."

Shen looked between his parents, eyes narrowing unashamedly at them.

"Very well." He growled out.

* * *

"Marriage?" the wolf yelped as he stared, wide eyed at his master. "Wait a minute: _You're_ getting _MARRIED?!_"

Shen picked up the silk handkerchief, allowing the fine fabric to glide over the talons of his Iron Claws as he polished them. He softly worked the fabric until the metal shone in the lantern light of his room. He placed it down upon his desk, his eyes wandering over the many sketches, designs and other bits and bobs that cluttered the top. Hoping down to the floor from his seat, Shen allowed his bare feet to pad against the floor, feeling the soft rug between his talons, almost missing the soft chiming that usually accompanied his footsteps. He walked past the wolf, a slight scowl upon his features as he calmly walked into his bedroom through the open door from the main living area. He turned to face his large wardrobe, reaching in and pulling out two of his finest robes, before depositing them on his bed that lay in the centre of the room.

"No, Zhan, I am not getting married," Shen muttered impatiently as he looked between two silk robes laid out upon his bed, trying to decide which one would best suit the occasion. "I am merely supposed to be _courting_ someone in preparation for marriage,"

The Boss Wolf grunted, showing how he viewed it to be _such_ a difference. And in all honesty, Shen was still in a mood to agree, as he decided to picked out a silver robe with a black sash instead of the red robe – too much like a wedding robe. He was sure that neither he nor his upcoming _guest_ would appreciate the imagery. He turned around to view himself in a huge mirror that hung upon one wall, the frame made of gold with jade carvings that looked like tree roots growing around the outside. As soon as the sash was tied around his waist, he heard a knock upon his door, both he and Zhan looked over at it sharply.

"Shen, you summoned me," came the voice of the Soothsayer through the door.

"Hide away all the silk and velvet," Shen quickly hissed under his breath to the Boss Wolf. "Leave out the cotton, she can have that." The wolf quickly did his master's bidding, understanding Shen's deep worry that Ah-Ma would eat all of his good clothes. The old goat had been in the habit of doing it just to get on Shen's nerves since he was a chick.

The Soothsayer entered, a kind yet amused smile upon her old and withered face.

"Soothsayer," Shen said by way of greeting. This earning him a slight frown from the goat, but Shen had been long past calling her Ah-Ma for years; he was a royal and so had no time to be as comfortable as he once was for his old nanny.

"You wish for me to tell you about Lianne," The old goat smiled at Shen, her eyes twinkling with amusement as Shen froze on the spot, trying to find words.

"Y-yes, yes." He cleared his throat, as if to regain his cool composure. "I want you to look into your bowl, and tell me of the female that comes to me,"

"Oh, I don't need my bowl to tell you anything," Ah-Ma chuckled. "Just a good ear,"

"Then tell me," Shen said, trying to keep the impatience out of his voice. "Tell me what you know."

"Lianne is the daughter of Lord Chang and Lady Amelia," the Soothsayer said.

"Of which, I already know," Shen mumbled.

"And they belong to the family of Swans that rule over the Shēnghuó province," The Soothsayer continued as if Shen had not interrupted her.

"Wait a minute," Zhan interrupted, looking from Shen to the Soothsayer in confusion. "You're marrying a _Swan_?"

"I'm not _marrying_ her!" Shen snapped at the wolf.

"Fine then," the Boss Wolf murmured, but his brows still knitted in confusion over his red eyes. "But a swan? Why not a peahen?"

_Because she wouldn't accept me if she were a peahen_… Shen thought to himself as he turned around in order to look at himself in the huge, decorative mirror before him. He gazed at his white feathers, so colourless and unnatural compared to the brilliant shades of colour upon his parents. Compared to the beautiful sapphire blue of his father with his impressive and gorgeous tail of greens, purples and blues that put to shame any other peacock on earth, Shen's white feathers were a huge contrast. He looked sickly, weak, unattractive and unnatural to the opposite sex of his species. Although he was still a young man, he had already tried to court a few noble peahens, but was met with scorn and rejection, both to his face and behind his back. The only break up in the white feathers was the red and black eye spots on his tail. Shen was no fool: he knew that one of the main reasons that his parents chose for him to court a swan of all creatures, was to better his chances at success, seeing as swans were usually white themselves. But still, all who looked upon him would see his abnormality in stark contrast against his parents, and seeing as how swans were known for their purity and beauty, he could only imagine this pompous, arrogant female disgusted at the thought of stooping so low as to even be in his presence. It made his talons scrape against the polished marble floor of his room in anger.

"Her species does not matter," Shen forced himself to say, before looking back at the Soothsayer. "Continue."

"Lady Lianne is well known for being the beauty of Shēnghuó," the Soothsayer said, eyeing Shen as if she could already sense his foul mood darkening. "Her father takes pride in showing off his daughter's loveliness,"

_Perfect._ Shen thought to himself sarcastically. Not only was this female a swan – a species known for their beauty – but she was a beauty amongst swans. It just got better and better.

"And for another thing," Ah-Ma said. "She and her father do not get along,"

"Oh?" Shen asked, not sure why he was so surprised by this. Perhaps he had imagined her to be a little 'Daddies-girl', forever his little princess and doing her father's wishes.

"She is being sent from home as a form of punishment,"

"For what?"

"That is not for me to say." The Soothsayer murmured, as she hobbled towards Shen, looking at him in the mirror, both of them staring at the reflective surface side by side, the old goat with her walking stick, wrinkled features and huge horns, her short stature in contrast with Shen's tall and slim figure, full of youthfulness despite his sickly body. "But there is one more thing you must know," she said to him softly, and Shen found himself holding his breath, hooked on her every word like he used to be as a child when she would indulge him when he would beg her to perform some kind of magic for him, or even to tell him a simple story. "A broken wing can be mended, but it takes a feather to fly,"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Shen snapped impatiently, breaking the trance that seemed to have been placed over him by the Soothsayer's voice. He turned to face her with an impatient scowl.

"It means what it means," she smiled knowingly, and Shen tried his best to hold in the flare of his temper.

The old goat then patted his wing with her hoof softly, before hobbling towards the door.

"I shall see you at the courtyard,"

"Soothsayer," Shen murmured stiffly as a way of farewell to her, as he turned back to the mirror in order to watch her leave the room, pausing by his desk as she inspected one of his drawings, before finally leaving.

"You really gonna go through with this?" Zhan asked as he turned from the door where the Soothsayer had gone, to look back at his Lord.

"Sometimes it is better that we not question our place – no matter how much we might wish otherwise," Shen murmured, not in the mood to lighten his tone with his old friend and servant, and was almost satisfied when the Wolf clicked his heels together to stand a little straighter, immediately understanding the double edge in Shen's words.

Shen had just been in his adolescent years, perhaps thirteen, when he met Zhan. Although a young wolf, perhaps a year younger then him, Zhan was feisty and intelligent, his father running the palace guard. Shen had been the only member of the royal family, or even the nobility, that treated the wolves with any shred of kindness, he treated them almost like family. Everyone saw the brute in the common wolf, the bloodthirsty hunter, and yes, Shen saw that and knew that it was of use. But he also saw the intelligence, the close knit bonds, the way they could work effectively as a team and as single units, but most of all, he saw their undying loyalty to a good leader. That was something Shen could admire, and the strategist in his mind pointed out that he could use it. So he had treated the wolves fairly, listening to them and giving them their fair dues. He had earned the respect of Zhan's mother and father, the pack alpha male and female in charge of the royal guard at the time, but it was the young wolf pup and peacock prince that had struck up an instant friendship. When Zhan's father had died when Shen was sixteen, the pack had been in chaos, and it was Zhan – despite his young age – who had fought all challengers and had put the pack back into order within a few hours. This natural leadership was most impressive, and Shen had been the one to defend Zhan when his parents had been furious at the behaviour of the wolves due to their politics. Zhan had led the wolves since then, and had also become Shen's personal guard and confidant, the wolf swearing fealty to Shen and none other for his kindness and loyalty to his pack. Now the two were twenty, and had been together ever since.

Still, that didn't mean that Shen didn't have his moods and made the Boss Wolf suffer for it, especially now, when he would remind Zhan of their status as master and servant, if only for some peace of mind.

"Let us go," Shen said at last when he was finally pleased with his appearance. "Our guest should be here shortly."

Shen quickly went to his desk in order to strap on his talon gauntlets, the Iron Claws protected him and hid burn scars that disfigured his feet. Also, they were good weapons to use in self-defence. And, when his over cautious side began to nag at him, he slipped a few of his throwing knives into his sleeve, hiding them amongst his own feathers… well, better be safe than sorry. As he checked that the buckles for the Iron Claws were set correctly, he noticed a slight imperfection on one talon; frowning, Shen then looked around for his –

He looked around sharply, trying to find his silken handkerchief. Where was it?! He had left it right there on the desk, alongside his drawings and designs, he had used it not ten minutes ago, and put it down next to the gauntlets. He could have sworn –

"Why that old goat!" he hissed angrily, before stomping his way out of his rooms, Iron Claws singing as they scrapped against the ground, threatening to leave sparks from his frustration. Zhan followed behind him, wisely keeping a respectful distance and keeping silent.

They reached the courtyard outside of the front of the tower, the long walkway to the main gate laid out before them. Flags bearing the royal peacock fluttered in the early spring breeze, and clouds blocked out the sky, the setting sun upon the waters of the ocean just outside the city, casting beautiful colours of pink and red and orange upon them. Shen saw that his parents were standing upon the top of the stairs leading down to the Palace's main square. Lord Goa stood proud and tall in a robe of emerald green in order to highlight the colours in his train that flowed out behind him, massive in length, demonstrating his dominance as Lord over all of Gongmen City. Beside him, Lady Jing stood on his right in a beautiful pink robe, with a peach tree in blossom sown into the back, decorating the fabric. It brought out the beautiful colours of her face, cut shorter at the front so that one could just see the bottom of her feet.

Shen's mother smiled to him warmly over her shoulder as he came to stand on his father's left. Shen's father gave him an approving nod and Shen nodded in return, still feeling bitter anger at this whole situation. He held his tongue for the fact that he might say something that would shatter this fragile peace, so he decided it was better not to say anything. Better to save it for closed doors, not when they were expecting a guest at any moment. He spotted Ah-Ma sitting upon her rug at the bottom of the stairs, a bowl in front of her, as well as a few other tools and ingredients for her "magic". She looked up at him with an amused smile and Shen glared at her. Zhan took up a position at Shen's flank, not part of the family line up, but close enough that it was very clear of his position as close to the family's ear. Shen also noticed two dozen wolves stood to attention on either side of the courtyard, holding ceremonial spears with designs of dragons engraved onto the blades. They were all prepared for the arrival of their guest.

They did not have to wait long; for when the sun was half way set, their special guest arrived.

The first warning they had was an announcement from the look out, and shortly after they all heard the distant sound of beating wings. This surprised Shen, for he would have thought that the Lady would come by carriage through the main gate, put on display in front of all the public. Instead she was flying? They then saw a blotch upon the sky, which quickly came into focus as it drew closer, the blob forming appendages that struck the air in a rhythmic beat, and then Shen saw others, slightly smaller blotches around it, all flying in formation around the centre creature.

Six shapes then dropped from the sky, landing neatly and expertly upon the brickwork of the centre of the courtyard. Six geese, all with black heads and necks that morphed into the typical brown of their bodies, stood before the peacock royal family, in two rows of three. They wore beautiful robes of purple and white, though Shen couldn't help but feel approval in his critical eye as each goose bore a traditional Chinese straight sword of beautiful design – no matter if he thought the guard itself to be a pitiful laughing stock.

But then, the geese all turned from the peacock royal family, the two rows turning to face the other, standing to attention with their beaks held high. And then, the last bird fell from the sky.

A mass of white feathers swooped low, so quickly that Shen didn't have time to catch it until it stopped and hovered above the ground in that moment before it would land. And in that moment, Shen had a perfect view. A Swan floated before him, her feathers a pale white like virgin snow, the wing tips a glittering silver, though in truth they were only a touch darker than her other feathers. Her neck was long and gracefully arched, slim in order to show off her feminine beauty; and then her face… Shen's eyes became glued to orbs of ocean blue, and he also noticed how the feathers upon the top of her head, from her forehead to the back of her skull were a brilliant golden yellow, as if she had been kissed by the sun. A small black line ran across the bridge of her nose, separating her dark beak from her face. As Shen stared at her, all the things he had previously thought of her – for this could only be Lianne – it all vanished as his mind went blank and he was left in complete awe, his eyes widening slightly, and his beak threatening to fall open.

She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. And as she fluttered her wings, Shen felt the breeze of her wing-beats, bringing to him a scent of clean fresh water and jasmine. Her dark webbed feet daintily touched the ground and she landed right in the centre of the formation of geese, tucking her wings gently by her side. Shen then noticed the royal-purple gown that she wore was loose fitted in order to allow her free movement and would not be too heavy upon her during flight.

The swan lifted her head regally, her blue eyes briefly touching upon the royal peacock family, and Shen had to resist the urge to puff out his chest feathers with pride as her eyes met his for a brief moment. She then walked forward towards the stairs; she did not waddle like other flat or webbed footed birds, no, she walked with grace and poise as if she were a bird of prey herself. Everything about her screamed perfection.

Shen allowed a small smile to creep across his face as he watched her come closer. All of his doubts were gone: he liked this deal _very _much indeed.

* * *

_Marriage…_ Lianne thought to herself, her heart sinking as she flew through the sky, her Yí Zhàng Duì – her honour guard – flying in formation around her. She had to go a little slower than normal in order to stay in the formation, the smaller geese seeming no worse for wear as they had been flying non-stop for the past few hours. Even if Lianne herself was beginning to tire, she would not complain when these soldiers were going so far from home, flying with her and forever vigilant and kind and respectful to keep her safe until they reached their destination.

Lianne suppressed a groan as she thought of Gongmen City, her destination and soon to be her prison.

A lick of anger rose in her chest as she thought of when her father had told her of her punishment, to be sent away from home to live with strangers, whose son he wanted her to marry as a last chance of redemption. Lianne had been so furious and even now was distraught over what was to happen. She could still see her mother's face, black feathers going slightly pale at the news, even as her father, white and beautiful and proud, seemed unfazed to be sending his only child away. That had been what had angered Lianne the most: being separated from her beloved mother had broken her heart, but it was her father's almost uncaring expression that had driven her almost to insanity with her fury. She was his daughter! How could he do this to her?!

But then, she had been asking that of his actions for the past ten years. It should not have been such a shock to her that he would stoop to this level eventually, sending her away to wed her off like a harlot for the right price. Only her father did not want the riches or power that the peacocks could supposedly bring him; no, he wanted an heir, and at this point if his wife could not give him a son, then he wanted Lianne to give him a grandson.

She was still confounded at her father's choice in suitor: a peacock? And not just any peacock, the peacocks of Gongmen City, and their son, who Lianne had heard rumours about, that he was unnatural and sickly and unworthy of even his own kind. But Lianne brushed away such thoughts, such nasty whispers had been said about her mother, the lovely Lady Amelia, who even with her kind heart, gentle grace and regal nature proved her to be a perfect ruler, because of the fact that her feathers were black instead of white – even when the ebony feathers made her look beautiful – she was considered unnatural and odd. So Lianne was determined not to listen to such talk, even if her mind would not let the thoughts rest.

But it wasn't the appearance nor the species of her husband-to-be that had her worried, it was the fact that she was to marry him. No matter what she or her mother thought, Lianne's father, Lord Chang, wanted her to marry this peacock prince. She could only be grateful that the boy's parents had insisted upon a trial period of a year, where if neither she nor this Lord Shen had any interest after that appointed time, then the arrangement was off. That was the only saving grace in this situation.

Despite the fact that both Lianne and her mother had determinedly stated that Lianne would never be forced into marriage when she had first been courted by suitors over a year ago, and Chang had agreed to that, Lianne was certain that he would have arranged this marriage out of spite for her insolence.

She wished she'd never said those things, her condemning words that had now sealed her fate. She could only hope that this one year would be over soon, and she could return to her home and mother.

It was then that Gongmen City came into view over the pass of cliffs that the birds had been flying through. They had followed the rivers from the Shēnghuó Province to the sea, where they had followed the coast in to reach the famed City from the south. Now, Lianne saw it for the first time, a grand city that was nothing short of huge, houses and buildings all clustered together by the sea, the harbour alive with activity even this late in the evening, as the port was Gongmen's City's biggest supply of trade and income. And above the city, Lianne immediately marked what could only be the dwelling place of the peacocks: The Tower of the Sacred Flame. It was a massive structure, perhaps ten stories tall, and a brilliant red that – as its name would suggest – looked like fire in the light of the setting sun. High walls surrounded the tower grounds, and at the corners stood four watch towers, each facing different points of the compass, and each roof of the different watch towers was a different colour, most likely to represent each of the four seasons. The tower itself was beautiful, even from this distance Lianne could tell the exquisite detail and astounding beauty of it, she still thought that the Shan Palace of Shēnghuó could not compared to in beauty or splendour… but this came remarkably close, even when she considered it breath taking for different reasons. The Shan Palace blended with the nature that surrounded it, a part of the luscious gardens and mountain springs, as if it had grown from the mountains that it was built in; the Tower of the Sacred Flame was a monument of might and majesty, set as an achievement of what its builders could do without nature.

Lianne and her Honour Guard flew over the city, passing over all of the inhabitants that were now all returning from their busy days at work to go home for the evening and be with their families. Lianne silently envied them that. But she had to distract her mind as they quickly came to the walls of the tower, the lead goose of her guard sending out a trumpeting call to one of the watch towers to let them know of their arrival. They passed over protective wall surrounding the Tower grounds, and Lianne saw the welcoming committee laid out to greet her, causing her to become a little nervous to see two dozen wolves standing to attention along the edges of the courtyard, not in a threatening manner, but still their claws, teeth and weapons were enough to put her on edge.

Keeping up with the sake of appearances, the group of waterfowl hovered in the air above the courtyard for a moment, and then the six geese descended and landed, all keeping in perfect formation, at the ready to protect her should something be amiss. She knew that they were armed with not only their straight swords but other weapons that were kept out of sight, as well as they could do some form of martial art. Lianne usually detested this show of barbarism… but when her heart was fluttering nervously in her chest with fear, she didn't mind it suddenly. And then, she herself descended, landing in the middle of the courtyard between the two rows of her honour guard that surrounded her, landing lightly upon the stone pavement, her purple robe flaring around her feet.

Tucking her wings gently against her sides, Lianne raised her head high in order to show that she still had some pride, to meet the eyes of the royal family before her. Three peacocks stood at the top of the stairs above the courtyard, and the one that she could only assume to be Lord Goa, ruler of all Gongmen City, stood in the very centre of them. He was the colour of beautiful sapphire blue, his proud crest upon his head held high, and he wore robes of emerald green that shimmered in the light. He needed no crown, for his stature, height and mere presence was enough to make him stand out in any crowd, for he had that regal nature about him. Beside him on his right stood a peahen that could only be the Lady Jing, and Lianne had to admit that she was a fair creature, with feathers of aquamarine on her body and neck that blended into the pink of cherry blossoms on her head and face. She wore robes of pink with the design of a flowering peach tree, and her kind eyes looked at Lianne with interest.

And then Lianne's eyes came to the final peacock, standing on Lord Goa's left, one that could only be the young Lord Shen. Lianne had to restrain herself from even blinking in order to not show any reaction to him. His feathers were a brilliant white, the crest upon his head standing straight with eye spots upon the top being of red and black, his whole form seeming to be in complete contrast with that of his parents. Lianne had a brief moment of seeing what the rumours had talked about when they said of Shen looking unnatural, for when standing beside his parents whose bright colours seemed to be like a garden in spring time, Shen looked like the garden in the depths of winter. But then Lianne scolded herself, for then she was no better than those spiteful lords who mocked her own mother for her odd plumage. In truth, she did not find Shen's colouring… unappealing, for there was not that much difference in colour between them, if only for the fact that Shen's white was almost like white steel. No, it was not his colour but his eyes that made her feel uncomfortable, for he had ruby red eyes that glinted like fire in the light of the setting sun, that stared at her unashamedly as if she were a piece of meat upon the block for him. His beak was dark, like iron, matching the skin around his eyes. Their eyes met for just a moment, oceanic blue meeting ruby red, before Lianne quickly broke the eye contact, not wanting to get sucked into that fiery gaze as she then faced the peacock family as a whole and began to walk towards them.

Walking with grace and poise, she came to the bottom of the stairs, her eyes glancing to see an old goat beside the stairs that sat upon a rug, a bowl of ash in front of her along with other assortment of objects. The goat met her eyes, smiling encouragingly, and Lianne had the strangest sense that the goat knew her, though they had never met before. There was something in her eyes… something that spoke of a secret knowledge that Lianne could not hope to guess. At the foot of the stairs, the swan spread her wing out on either side of her gracefully, before bowing her head low to the royals before her.

"Lady Lianne," she heard Lord Goa say down to her, his deep voice carrying across to the whole of the courtyard. "You honour us this day. Welcome to Gongmen City, and to our humble home of the Tower of the Sacred Flame."

"The honour is mine, your highness," Lianne said formerly, rising again as she saw the peacock lord descend the steps towards her, his wife and son beside him. Lianne heard a metallic chiming but could not pinpoint the exact location of the noise, so decided to leave it be. She then noticed a wolf remain standing at the top of the stairs, his red eyes watching her and all the strangers in the courtyard with a hard expression.

"I am Lord Goa, lord of all Gongmen City and her respective lands," the peacock said as he came to stand before her, and Lianne only then noticed the brilliant train of the two male birds: Lord Goa's holding a variety of colours from blue to green to purple, each colour shining brightly in the different forms of light. Shen's train was white like the rest of him, only broken by the red and black eye spots.

"I thank you for your kindness in welcoming me here My Lord; I must say the city was rather beautiful when we flew over." Lianne said. Lord Goa smiled softly at her, obviously seeing her guarded nature in the sight of such strangers and he seemed sympathetic, but glad of her manners at least.

"May I present my wife: Lady Jing," Goa stated as he looked at the peahen beside him.

"Your Ladyship," Lianne bowed her head to the Lady before her, and Jing did the same with a warm smile similar to her husband's.

"Lianne," Jing said with a musically high voice. "Welcome to Gongmen City,"

"Thank you,"

"And may I present my son," Lord Goa said, indicating the pale male. Lianne turned to face her 'intended', unable to keep her gaze from his eyes as he stared at nothing but her face. Lianne felt anger and embarrassment rise within her as she silently begged him to look at something – _anything_ – else. "Lord Shen,"

"My Lord," Lianne murmured as she bowed her head, thankful to break the eye contact with him again.

"My Lady," Shen bowed to her in turn, and Lianne felt her insides hum as her anxiety began to grow. When Lord Shen came back to his full height, they were eye to eye, he being only a little smaller than his father, and he wasn't full grown yet. Lianne knew that he was of similar age to her, he being only a year or two older than her. The smirk on his beak was enough to make her uncomfortable again. "Truly," he said; his voice was rich and articulate, though with a slight rasp to it. "The tales of your loveliness do not do your true beauty justice,"

Lianne had to restrain herself from taking a step back from him, the gleam in his eye frightening her but also drawing her closer.

"And also, this is our advisor, Ah-Ma, the court Soothsayer," Lord Goa said, motioning towards the old goat. Lianne looked over sharply, surprised at the revelation. The old goat stiffly got to her feet, her walking stick plodding at the ground as she came close towards the group.

"I have never seen a Soothsayer before," Lianne said, eyes still wide as she studied the goat with interest. "It is a pleasure to meet you," the swan bowed her head. Despite the fact that she was nobility and the Soothsayer a commoner, her mother had always taught her to forever be respectful to those who were of the old ways and whose abilities were not clear.

"You are polite, strong of both body and mind and healthy too," the Soothsayer said, running a hoof along Lianne's wing as if she were inspecting the feathers, touching the lady's purple robe with her walking stick. Lianne did not know what to make of all this poking and prodding as if she were being examined by a doctor. Perhaps the old goat was, and so to not risk offending anyone, she kept quiet and remained still. Then, the Soothsayer reached a hoof up to her face and brought her head down in order to stare into her eyes. "You have a strong and good heart young lady, your beauty reflecting your soul like a mirror to the world. But do not allow your sorrow to overcome you, lest you be drowned in the ocean. Remember: a flock is protected by numbers from the hawk."

Lianne frowned in confusion, wondering what on earth that could mean. She opened her mouth to ask, but was interrupted by Lord Shen's voice cutting across the conversation curtly.

"That is enough of you poking and prodding, Soothsayer; there is no need to frighten her with your meaningless riddles." He snapped at the old goat.

Lianne wanted to snap at him, to not say such disrespectful things, but held her tongue. She merely straightened to face the royal family once again.

"Dinner should be ready for us, if you would like to join us," Lord Goa said.

"Thank you, I would. If you will but excuse me for a moment, I must send my Yí Zhàng Duì on their way. They must report of my safe arrival to my father," Lianne said, before turning away and walking back towards the geese.

The Captain came forwards to her, bowing slightly in respect. Lianne bowed her head to him, for a moment, her composure slipping as her fear and misery began to get the better of her, tears forming in her blue eyes. And although the Captain's face was stoic and without expression, in his eyes Lianne saw the sympathy, the kindness there. He bowed to her, offering what little comfort he could, before he turned back to his men, and with one trumpeting call, they all launched into the air at the same time, staying in formation as they circled the courtyard, before flying back the way they had come. Lianne watched them, her heart breaking as she silently said goodbye to the last thing she had of her home and would not see for another year.

Only when she could no longer see their forms in the sky, did she turn back around to face her fate. Lord Goa and Lady Jing smiled, as if they were of an understanding mind to her fear as well, before turning around and leading the way back towards the tower. Lianne followed, Shen coming to walk beside her. When they reached the top of the stairs, Lianne hesitated for only a moment when she neared the wolf.

"This is Zhan, the Boss Wolf," Shen explained to her. "He is the leader of the royal guard of wolves, and my own personal body guard."

"Ma'am," the wolf spoke in a gruff voice as he bowed his head to her respectfully. Well, at least Lianne couldn't fault him on his manners.

"Master Wolf," Lianne said, bowing her head in greeting to him.

"Shall we go in then?" Shen smirked as he held out his wing, meaning for her to take it to lead her inside.

Lianne looked from the wing to his eyes, her weeping soul angered by his seemingly uncaring or rather not noticing of her fear and misery, acting as if all was well both with her and the situation. Anyone else would have snapped at him, but Lianne wasn't like that. When she grew angry she would fly verbal barbs rather than fists, but in situations like this, when she grew uncomfortable or scared, she closed herself off. And that was what she did. She pointedly ignored Shen's offered wing, instead allowing her walls to build up as her eyes turned cold and unfeeling as she held her head high and followed behind Lord Goa and Lady Jing. She saw Shen's eyes spark with anger and outrage briefly, before he smothered it over and hid it, even though he had replaced his self-satisfied smirk for a small scowl. He stepped beside her as they walked into the tower, but Lianne ignored his presence.

The Tower of the Sacred Flame was as massive on the inside as it appeared to be on the outside, the walls lined with red and gold and blue colours, and it was filled with so much light both from open atrium like windows to lanterns hanging through the middle of the tower. Lianne was led to the dining hall where they all sat down to dinner, Lord Goa at the head of the table with Lady Jing on his right, Shen on his left and Lianne on Shen's other side. An exquisite soup was given for the first course, followed by a rich pastry dish that Lianne was unfamiliar with. A side helping of dumplings in a creamy sauce came after, and then a desert platter filled with various fruits. Lianne didn't taste a thing, merely eating mechanically, going through the motions but was not invested enough in order to taste the beautiful flavours. They all ate in silence for most of the time, the peacocks asking questions of Lianne in order to strike up a casual conversation, though she merely answered by saying what was required: not elaborating nor asking questions back.

And constantly she was aware of Shen's eyes drifting over to her, assessing her, and when she ignored him he would seem to grumble to himself before returning to eating his food. Lianne couldn't stand his stares as if she were a star attraction in a circus, it made her too self-conscious and as if she should cover herself. But thankfully, the meal ended quickly and it wasn't long before Lord Goa and Lady Jing announced that they were retiring for the evening.

"Shen, perhaps you should show the Lady Lianne to her rooms," Lord Goa offered to his son, before offering a kind smile to Lianne. "Wouldn't want you to get lost in here; I've lived here all my life and things still look the same to me," he chuckled at his own joke, and Lianne noticed how Shen rolled his eyes.

"Of course," Shen murmured, before standing, his wolf – who had been standing at the edge of the room, constantly on alert – stepped forward to flank his master. Lianne held in a sigh as she stood as well, but looked to the royal peacocks and bowed her head to them.

"Goodnight My Lord, Your Ladyship," she said to them softly and formerly. The peacocks bowed to her in return.

"Have a good night, Lady Lianne," Lady Jing smiled kindly.

Shen did not wait another moment, leading the way as he walked out of the dining hall, not bothering to offer her his wing this time. And that was fine by Lianne as she followed behind him, letting him lead her through the many levels of the huge tower. Upon the ninth floor, Shen directed her towards a room facing the east. Opening the doors, he revealed a beautiful room painted in gold, with a black marble floor that had been polished so well that it actually shined in the moon light that came in through the window, giving a perfect reflection like a mirror. The main room had a fire place that illuminated a comfortable arrangement of cushions before it, with a desk on one side of the room, and a table filled with different fruits and flowers. A slide door at the back led to the actual bedroom, where a huge soft looking and elaborately carved wooden bed lay. Double doors on the right led out onto a balcony that looked out to the east and onto the harbour and the north-eastern edge of the city, which now glinted under the light of the moon.

"I trust that these rooms will be to your liking?" Shen asked, his eyes narrowed to regard her.

"Yes, thank you," Lianne said simply.

"I will have chambermaids come to serve you in the morning and bring you any food and other material objects that you desire." the peacock told her, a slight edge of smugness returning.

Something inside Lianne wanted to scream, that he would think that any number of jewels or silks or other _things_ could heal the whole that was burning away in her heart. But instead, her walls simply became higher as she listened to Shen talk.

"My parents wish for me to take you to the gardens tomorrow, there we can talk,"

"If that is what is required," Lianne said, acting completely aloof and distanced, as if she were a mechanical contraption.

"What?" he asked, looking at her as though she were crazy. Only then, did Lianne turn to face him with a cold glare.

"I shall do what is _required_ of me, Lord Shen," she stated simply, walking towards him in a slow but deliberate way as she squared up to him, her blue eyes meeting his red orbs. "Nothing more."

And with that, she closed the door on him.

In the silence of the room that greeted her, Lianne was suddenly reminded of how far from home she was, and how alone she was in this place.

She refused to let even the first tear fall, knowing that once one fell, she would never be able to stop the others.


	2. Friction

Two – Friction

* * *

Four days passed that progressively grew worse and worse.

Upon the first day, after frightening herself from waking up in a strange room before remembering where she was, Lianne was almost surprised to see that the Lord Shen had kept his promise, as she found chambermaids awaiting her when she exited her bedroom in to the sitting area of her rooms. The maids were gazelles, and were obedient and polite as they told her of their instructions to make her comfortable and to give her anything she wanted. Lianne was half tempted to ask for her freedom, before she quickly told them to prepare her a light breakfast and help her get ready. She didn't want their help in all truth, in Shēnghuó she had had only one maid, a goose named Mie, in order to tend to her needs, who had been a close friend to her of sorts, and these maids only did nothing but remind her of what she had lost. Their silence contrasted to the chatter, their perfect cleaning and precise movements and never once making a mistake was the exact opposite to the bumbling and cursing. Mie had been a joy and delight to be around, every moment seeming to hold some comic value that would have them both laughing.

Once the maids were done, and Lianne was dressed in a simple beige coloured robe, and she had eaten a few mouthfuls of her breakfast, everyone was surprised to hear a knock on the door. Lianne was startled, fearing that it was Lord Shen, for she had hoped that she wouldn't need to face him until she was to meet him in the gardens. But she was still shocked when one of her new maids announced that it was the Soothsayer. When the old goat entered, she looked straight at Lianne with a warm smile upon her old and withered face.

"Good morning, Lady Lianne," the Soothsayer said with a slight bow of her head.

"Good morning, respected elder," Lianne said with a bow of her own head, and was surprised to hear the Soothsayer chuckle heartily.

"You should not give me such titles, they'll go straight to my head." She laughed.

"Is it not what you are?" Lianne asked, confused yet greatly intrigued by the Soothsayer's ways.

"I am many things my Lady," she said with a knowing smile. "I am advisor, councillor, elder, fortune teller, a nurse, a doctor and anything else the peacocks require of me. But for you, I am naught but an old woman, and a friendly ear to listen,"

For some reason, Lianne felt extremely touched by this statement, and couldn't help herself from smiling slightly. She then quickly dismissed her maids, wanting to be alone with the Soothsayer. Once the door closed behind them, Lianne turned her full attention to the old goat before her.

"Please sit," Lianne offered with a gesture to the cushions by the fireplace. "Would you care for some tea?"

"You are the nobility here," the old goat stated as she went to sit down on one of the cushions. "I should be the one serving you the tea,"

"If it is one thing my father actually taught me, it is to be a good host," Lianne murmured as she poured herself and the Soothsayer a cup of tea before joining her on the plush cushions. "And my mother always told me to be respectful to those who deserve your respect,"

"And what makes people deserving of your respect?" the old goat asked as she gratefully took the cup and had a small sip of the hot beverage.

"When they earn it." Lianne said simply.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, merely taking small sips of their tea as they both tried to think of what to say.

"What is your favourite pass time, Lady Lianne?" the Soothsayer asked suddenly.

"Um... Art," Lianne stumbled due to he confusion at the sudden question. "I always used to love painting and sketching with my mother in the gardens of the Shan Palace."

"Then do not allow your love to go to waste," the Soothsayer smiled warmly. "Have your maids bring you art supplies and paint,"

"I wouldn't know what to paint," Lianne murmured, looking into her cup of tea at the last few sips that swirled around inside the fine dish.

"The tongue can paint what the eye can't see,"

Lianne looked at the old goat, opening her beak to say something, before shutting it again as he mind stewed over those words. Another long silence ensued.

"I realise," the Soothsayer said at last, a slightly sad and sympathetic look in her eyes. "That this must all seem rather… daunting,"

"You have no idea," Lianne couldn't stop the words that fell from her lips in a quiet murmur. So in order to cover her breach in manners, she quickly added: "Let us just say that it was not a mutual family agreement for me to come here. I am still… _adjusting_ to the situation."

"I understand. That is why I have come with news that will hopefully ease the burden of your heart,"

The old goat reached around to retrieve a small piece of parchment from her pocket, and held it out for Lianne. Raising a brow inquisitively, Lianne almost hesitantly reached forward and took the piece of paper from the Soothsayer's hoof. Upon it was written one word.

"Lang. A name?" she asked, frowning in confusion.

"Lang is a duck who is a frequent trader between here and Shēnghuó. It is also his speciality to deliver messages of a more _private_ nature." Lianne looked up sharply to stare at the old goat's kind face, suddenly hooked on her every word. "Sending messages through privately hired birds can be expensive and also not very private should your father or Lord Goa find out. I do not believe Lord Goa would stop you sending letters, but it would cease to be a private affair. Lang is known for his subtlety and secrecy."

"Do you mean this?" the swan asked breathlessly.

The Soothsayer nodded.

"Oh thank you!" Lianne whispered, rushing forward to embrace the old goat, completely forgetting her place and not caring. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she then leaned back to give the Soothsayer her warm smile, a smile that reached her eyes in its radiance. "How will I find him?"

"He trades the peacock's fireworks. You can find him tomorrow when he comes here to have the Boss Wolf approve of his supply numbers."

"Thank you again,"

"It is my pleasure dear," The Soothsayer smiled. "Now, I must go. And I believe that you presence is _required_ in the garden."

Lianne stood staring at the goat, wondering how on earth she could have… Had Shen told her? Not likely, if by the way she had seen him speak to her yesterday was any indication. Then had she overheard? Lianne had thought that she was alone but for her, Shen and the Boss Wolf.

Deciding not to dwell on such matters, Lianne said farewell to the Soothsayer, and had her maids show her to where Lord Shen was supposedly waiting for her. Her mind was buzzing with what she would do. She could now write to her mother, the letters would be confidential and private and she could say what she liked. She would only need to rely on this Lang's quickness in reaching her home and back. Considering how long it took to get from Shēnghuó to Gongmen City, and then staying in the same spot until trade was complete and then restocking, Lianne estimated that Lang would be no longer than two weeks in total. Two weeks in which to wait for a reply from her mother, Lianne knew that she could live with that.

Lianne was shown to the gardens on the northern edge of the palace gardens, she noticed an artificial river that ran around the grounds of the tower, creating a complete circuit. Crossing a small bridge, Lianne was brought into a veranda, marked with an elaborately carved stone bench and a small gazebo surrounding it to give the seating small shade. Orchid flowers grew in the flowerbeds, offering different shades of colour carefully decorating the scene. And of course, in the centre of it all stood Lord Shen, his white feathers shining in the light of the morning sun, and his red eyes following Lianne as she dismissed her maids and came forward to join him.

"Lord Shen," Lianne said formerly, bowing her head to him.

"Lady Lianne," Shen replied, the tone of his voice rather curt though she saw the way his eyes remained completely focused upon her, never once losing the intensity of his stare. "I trust that you had a good night's rest?"

"I did," she said as she looked about them with an almost lazy look upon her face. "Where is your wolf, Master Zhan?"

"He is close by," Shen murmured. "But I had him placed out of sight in order to give us the illusion of privacy,"

Lianne merely nodded, not allowing herself to feel as she built up her walls and closed herself off as she made herself seem completely disinterested.

"You wished to speak to me Lord Shen?" she asked.

"Yes: it appears to me that if we are to at least appear to be making an effort, then we must at least get to know each other." The Lord told her with his head held high regally, as if the whole world were beneath him. "My parents have decided that we should spend a minimum of one hour each day together."

"Very well." Lianne murmured, not exactly looking forward for what was to come.

"Would you care to walk with me?" Shen asked, signalling towards the pathway leading to the rest of the gardens. Lianne only came to walk beside him, allowing him to lead her as he walked down from the veranda and began to slowly walk around the grounds of the palace.

Lianne saw many others at work throughout the gardens, from guards to watchmen to gardeners. Servants would bow before them as they passed, murmuring their oaths of respect, which Shen ignored as if they were not there at all. Behind them, Lianne saw the Boss Wolf following them at a distance, his eyes watching all around them, but the swan knew that his every sense was focused on them. The spring sun shone down upon them, making the feathers of the two white birds shine softly, reflecting the light away like mirrors. As they walked, Lianne heard a metallic chiming, one that sounded exactly the same as the noise she had heard yesterday when she had arrived. Looking about her, she could not see anything that could make such a sound; was it the wolf's weapons? No, it sounded too close. Perhaps a metallic strap or clasp clapping together on Shen's robes? No, she could see none. And that was when she saw it: a flash of sunlight reflected off of metal, and Lianne's eyes were drawn to Shen's feet. Between the partings in his robe to allow his feet to move comfortably, she saw his taloned feet as he walked almost artfully. Clasped around his feet however, were Iron Claws, a gauntlet like contraption that covered his feet and talons and came up past his ankles. As they clicked on the floor, they chimed, scraping at the stone from where they had been sharpened to perfection. Lianne felt her breath hitch in her throat at the sight of such a deadly contraption.

Shen however, noticed her looking.

"Does something interest you?" he asked, raising a brow in slight amusement as Lianne snapped her gaze away from him, at once regaining her cool composure.

"One must wonder why you would wear such things upon your feet," she merely said crisply.

"They are to protect my feet, obviously," Shen muttered as if he were explaining something to a simpleton.

"Then simple shoes would be more appropriate,"

"They can also serve as weapons," Shen stated.

Lianne didn't say anything. A long silence then passed between them.

"What do you know of Gongmen City?" Shen asked her suddenly.

"It is a port city which gains much of its wealth through trade with other coastal settlements, as well as its manufacturing of fireworks which it trades with the rest of China." Lianne said mechanically.

"Fireworks that my parents invented," Shen told her with pride. "The whole city benefits from the joy and prosperity that my family has brought to them, and I will follow in their footsteps, and bring greatness and honour to my family."

Lianne was awfully reminded of her father in that one moment, before she brushed it aside.

"Indeed," was all she said. Shen looked at her sharply, as if checking to see whether she had heard him properly or not.

"Does my family legacy not interest you?" he asked a little curtly.

"It is no concern of mine how your family has prospered," she told him, looking up at the walls and the guards posted there as they looked out over the city. She noticed out of the corner of her eye how Shen's eyes became narrowed with anger.

"I suppose I would not have expected vision to come from a woman of simple _farming_," he said the word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"In times of trouble, people will always need food, Lord Shen. I am not so sure they will need fireworks,"

"Where there is the poor, there is always the rich who will do anything to distract their troubled minds," he said as he stopped in his tracks in order to turn and face her with his dark expression. "And yet you have no grasp of this concept?" he seemed completely frustrated by the fact that he couldn't seem to make Lianne drop her cold and uncaring demeanour.

"I simply have no interest in your family legacy," she returned as she regarded him with a cold look.

"Then perhaps it is your female mind that narrows your ambition," he spat disdainfully. "But then, I have met many ambitious females in my time, so maybe you merely lack _imagination_,"

"I'm sorry, was the point of this conversation a chance for you to _attempt_ to aggravate me?" Lianne muttered nonchalantly as she looked at him lazily.

Shen glared at her, and Lianne only stared back him, seeming completely unfazed by his attempts to intimidate her. That only seemed to antagonise him more, as he puffed out his chest threateningly, eyes blazing at her.

"I _believe_ our time is up." Lord Shen hissed, before turning on his heel and storming away.

Lianne watched him go, her own expression becoming stormy as she turned around and headed back towards the Tower, going straight for her rooms. Once there, she dismissed her maids and quickly set to work on writing a letter. She kept it brief, addressing it only to her mother, explaining the situation and why the letters had to be kept secret and how her mother could reply back to her. She finished by stating how much she missed her mother, but did not tell her anything else. If her mother thought her situation too bad, then she would demand of her husband to bring their daughter home, which was what Lianne wanted, but her mother would exaggerate in order to get what she wanted, and Lianne didn't want to bring any trouble to Lord Goa and Lady Jing, for they had been nothing but kind to her.

The next day, Lianne found the duck, Lang, just as the Soothsayer had told her she would. He was standing in the courtyard, where the Boss Wolf was checking his carts and crates and boxes to make sure that everything was there and accounted for and that there was no more than needed. Lianne watched from a safe distance, waiting for the perfect opportunity. It appeared in the form of Zhan going back to check on the rear cart when one of his men called out to him. Using it, Lianne hurried forward to Lang, once the duck noticed her, he was shocked to find her before him, opening his beak wide to say something, probably an exclamation in order to address her. But Lianne quickly held up a wing, silencing him. Once she was sure that no one was watching, she slipped her letter to Lang.

"I heard that you are the one to deliver messages," she murmured. "When you reach Shēnghuó, please give this to the Lady Amelia, and no other," Understanding, the duck nodded to her as he placed the letter inside his robes. Before she left, Lianne slipped the duck a single gold coin. "For your trouble," and with that, she left him.

The next four days carried on the same. Lianne would awaken and be served breakfast in her own rooms, where she found a little peace, before her maids would announce that Lord Shen would want to speak with her. She would then meet him in whatever place he decided, and the two would spend no more than one hour in each other's company. Whatever conversations they would start, no matter how small and seemingly unimportant, would spiral out of control quickly and become an argument. It was very tiring on Lianne's mind in order to keep this up. She did not wish to be antagonistic towards Shen, but she merely kept her unfeeling persona because she knew that if she allowed herself to acknowledge her emotions, she would be a wreck, and Shen would use it as her weakness. Not to mention that as long as she was unfeeling, then it was clear that she did not want this marriage to go forth. But, Shen would become completely frustrated and angered by the fact that she was never emotionally vested in anything he said or did, leading him to say things out of spite, and then Lianne would keep up the act just to annoy him.

However, Lianne did find some peace when she took up the Soothsayers advice, and had her maids order her materials for her painting. And then, each night after dinner, when Lianne was exhausted and her mind in upheaval from the emotionally taxing day, what with verbal sparing with Shen, worrying about her message to her mother, missing her home and trying to adjust to life in Gongmen City, Lianne found an hour or two to spend on her art before she went to bed. She had decided not to paint anything of home, even when her heart longed to draw the waterfalls that were outside her bedroom window at the Shan Palace, or even the landscape of the Shēnghuó mountains. If she did, then her homesickness would only become more apparent. So, she decided to occupy herself, by looking out of her balcony doors, and painted the harbour and eastern edge of the city and docks under the light of the moon. It was something to occupy her mind, and she could only do small adjustments at a time. But, it was enough to keep Lianne's inner artist alive, like a starved man being thrown a loaf of bread each day, enough to keep him alive if not truly living.

It was on the fourth day, when Lianne heard a knock on her door and the maids almost fearfully announced it to be Shen. Surprised that he would come to her rooms, for he had not been there since he had shown her there the first night, Lianne allowed him to enter as she waited in the main living area. Lord Shen entered, as always, his eyes were only for hers as he entered the room, wings folded in front of him hidden in the sleeves of his robes.

"I believe we got off on the wrong foot, dear Lady," he said to her almost softly.

"Oh?" Lianne raised an eyebrow, the only hint of her surprise.

"Yes. That is why I give you this, in the hopes that we can forget these little grievances."

From his robes he produced a little white box which he handed to her. Lianne carefully took it, and opened it up. In the middle of a velvet cushion, sat the largest emerald Lianne had ever seen, perhaps as big as her eyes, it was clasped to a golden choker chain, diamonds embedded around the choker in the formation of tiger teeth. It was very pretty and very elaborate and very expensive.

"It is not accepted." Lianne stated coldly, closing the box with a loud "_snap_", before quickly returning it to the peacock, who seemed utterly shocked at her behaviour, looking from her to the box now in his wings as if it had just appeared there out of thin air.

"What?!" he squawked unceremoniously.

"I was not aware that I had slipped into another language" Lianne murmured, pretending to sound thoughtful even though it was purposefully loud enough for Shen to hear. "In that case, let me say it again: I will not take this."

"Is it not _required _of you to accept a simple gift?" he hissed at her, and Lianne ignored his attempt to turn her own logic against her.

"I will not accept bribery," she almost snapped.

"This is not bribery!"

"It is an object offered to me in the hopes of _buying_ my affections, when it has no emotional value as it is based off of none of my own personal wants and wishes. And what makes it worse is that it comes from a man who's heart does not mean what he offers with both the gift and his word. You insult both me and yourself."

"You're really starting to get on my nerves, _dear lady_," Shen growled, giving up on the gift.

"I should think you would be used to it by now," Lianned stated almost lightly, ignoring Shen's eyes that bulged in his head with the force of his rage. He had left not long after that in a very dark mood.

But it brought her no joy to do this, but as she had stated, she would not accept his attempts to bribe her. But was upsetting him the only way? It almost made her feel guilty by how much he had been trying with her.

Feeling lonely, Lianne skulked away to her bed chamber, wishing that the duck, Lang, would soon return with a letter from her mother. She yearned for anything that could bring her one step closer to home.

* * *

"I give up!" Shen screamed as he threw a throwing knife at the wooden dummy across the room, the blade sinking in deep between the eyes of the pretend enemy, the wood protesting with a loud groan as the knife threatened to cleave the head in two.

Zhan stood to one side, watching his master vent his frustrations as he whirled and danced around the training room like an angry tornado, destroying everything in his path. Realising that the enemy had not fallen, Shen snatched up his Guan Dao, a weapon of Shen's own design as he had modified the traditional look so that it resembled something between a spear and a sword, and was handled like both as well. The long and curved blade sang as Shen twisted it through the air as he leapt towards his target.

"I refuse to bow to that _selfish_ –" he sliced at the dummy, creating a huge slash that opened it up from shoulder to hip. "– _Arrogant_ –" he struck the shaft of the weapon against the dummies jaw. "– _Pompous_ –" he leapt in to the air, striking the claws of the talon gauntlets across the neck and shoulders. "– _Infuriating_ –" he fanned out his train, twirling around, his feathers hitting the back of the knees and knocking the wooden dummy to the floor. "– **_ARGH_**!" driving the Guan Dao into the dummy, Shen watched as the wooden contraption was split right in two by his rage.

All was silent in the training hall, other than Shen's heavy breathing as he stood glaring at the wooden dummy, as if daring it to try and get up. Zhan watched, ears held back in slight agitation as he watched his master carefully.

"Feel better?" He asked cautiously after five minutes of silence had passed.

"Not even remotely." Shen hissed under his breath, twirling his Guan Dao in his grasp before he turned and stalked towards the pit, the open arena like space able for him to practice his more elegant and acrobatic movements. Shen started by doing simple turns and kicks into the air, using the Guan Dao to jump over a target as his train fanned above him in the air like a sail. Zhan watched again as Shen threw his weapon in to the air, dropping to the ground and then rolling away to a different position before catching the deadly missile expertly.

"Why don't you talk to your parents and send her back home then?" Zhan asked.

"And admit defeat to that _female_?!" Shen spat angrily. "I would sooner impale myself on my own weapon!" as if to prove his point, Shen leapt into the air and spun around, slicing the Guan Dao in figures of eight before landing neatly on his feet. "No, if she wants to play the game, then play I shall."

"You still want to court her?" Zhan asked.

"After her recent behaviour? No." Shen muttered as he twisted on the spot before jabbed his Guan Dao at an invisible enemy. "But my parents wish for me to at least appear as if I'm attempting to make this work. And besides, to look as if I've given up on her would mean that she has won. I won't have that,"

"But I thought you liked her,"

"Her beauty is one thing I can't ignore, but that is where the attraction ends," Shen stated as he regarded Zhan coldly before using the blade of the Guan Dao to poll volt again. "She frustrates me to my wits end, angers me to the point where I want to strangle her and then throws every gesture I give back in my face! Sometimes I think she's better than the peahens, other times I wish to take on an army of them instead of one of her,"

"So you do like her,"

Shen whirled around so fast he was literally a white blur, as he held the tip of the Guan Dao against Zhan's throat.

"It wasn't me!" The wolf yelped.

Shen then looked behind the wolf to see the Soothsayer standing there, smiling knowingly at Shen.

"Oh it's you," Shen grumbled as he allowed his weapon to fall by his side. "And no, I do not like her,"

"Shen," the Soothsayer said softly. "Lianne is in a strange place, she knows no one, and she misses her home. Can you not see her misery?"

"There is something called 'being an adult about the situation'!" Shen hissed.

"Speak to her, not as a Lord but as a man. Only when the moon understands the sun can they join in the sky,"

"Is that cryptic riddle supposed to help?" Shen said scornfully.

"Make of it what you will," the Soothsayer told him, shaking her head as she made her way towards the exit.

Shen and Zhan watched her leave, their eyes never leaving her back until the door closed behind them. The wolf looked to the peacock with his bright red eyes.

"What do you plan to do?" he asked his master. Shen looked over the blade of his Guan Dao, seeing his pale reflection on the blade's edge.

"For now, I'll take it one day at a time until I figure out what to do with her," he said quietly, almost to himself.

"If I were you –"

"Which you're not." Shen muttered.

"– I would give it one last shot, then, if it doesn't work out, you can say you've tried your best," the wolf shrugged.

"If only it were that easy,"

* * *

That night, Shen went to dinner, and expected it to be a very awkward affair as it always was now with Lianne always silent as she barely ate her meal. But he was fairly surprised to find that Lianne was nowhere to be found. Even though Shen would have thought of this as a welcomed break, he couldn't help his mind from wondering as to where the swan had run off to. Even though he thought of her as the arrogant and selfish witch that he had described her as earlier in the training rooms, he knew that Lianne would never have a breach of manners, and the fact that she had skipped dinner without so much as an explanation was rather unusual.

After the meal, Shen went to her chambers, wanting to demand an answer for the insult of not even bothering to come up with an excuse let alone a fully-fledged reason. But when he requested entry to her rooms, the maids quickly informed him that their lady was not within her chambers. Glaring at them, Shen had demanded to know of her last known whereabouts, and the frightened maids had quickly stammered to tell him that the Lady Lianne had gone out into the gardens perhaps an hour before and had not returned. Furious, Shen and Zhan had quickly made it to the gardens, Zhan going off to quietly and stealthily inform the guard so that they might look for the Swan, the hope being that someone would spot her or stop her but no alarms meant that she would not know they were coming. Shen was furious; he had never thought Lianne a coward enough to run away! As he looked around the eastern gardens, he thought over all that he would –

Suddenly, Shen's eyes were caught on a flash of silver light, and he heard a distinct flapping noise. Spinning around to face it, Shen reached inside his robes to feel the familiar cold touch of the steel throwing knives hidden in the sleeve of his robes. He crept forward, talon gauntlets striking the floor softly as he rounded the corner...

And was met with the sight of Lianne, dressed in a simple grey robe that despite the fact that it wasn't made of silk or velvet, her beauty still made it look like something fit for a queen; Shen saw her wings fanning out as if she had just landed. Shen was quite shocked to see her, if only for the reason that he had thought that she had run off to try and escape. Only to find her landing in the gardens? Shen cleared his throat loudly, alerting the Lady to his presence, as she swivelled her head round to look at him with mild surprise in her eyes.

"Lord Shen," she said, bowing her head slightly to him.

"Lianne," Shen said as he came towards her, eyes narrowed at her in suspicion. "You gave no explanation as to why you were not present at dinner,"

"You'll have to forgive me, my Lord," Lianne murmured. "I was out here flying, and must have lost track of time," her tone and expression was as bland and aloof as ever, but there was something in her voice that was perhaps as close to an apology as Shen thought he was ever going to get from her.

"You were flying?" he asked sceptically. Lianne nodded.

"To clear my head… I've had a lot on my mind as of late," she told him softly.

The Soothsayer's words from earlier on in the day came back to haunt Shen, though he shook his head in order to be rid of them.

"Do you fly often?" he found himself asking.

"Perhaps more than a noble-born lady should," Lianne mused. "But I enjoy the freedom, and as I have said, it helps to clear my mind when I am troubled,"

"How spontaneous of you," he drawled lazily. "And you thought to tell no one of where you were?"

"I thought that the point of being spontaneous was to do the unexpected and not plan it," Lianne challenged, and Shen sighed as he repressed a scowl to creep across his face.

"In future, please inform _someone_ of your whereabouts, lest the whole city comes in search of you," he muttered to her in a slightly scolding manner.

"There is no need for you to worry, Shen," though she had no expression, a slight light in her eyes reminded him of something almost like a friendly teasing. It then occurred to Shen that this was probably the longest conversation they had gone through without hostility.

"Ahem," Shen murmured as he cleared his throat loudly, before turning away from her. "Would you care for me to escort you to your rooms?"

"I know the way." Lianne said. "However, if you wish to go down the same path, then I will not stop you,"

"Very well," Shen said, realising that that was probably the closest thing to an agreement that he was going to get that night. He turned away walking back towards the Tower.

However, he had only gotten a few steps into the concealing cover of the orchids when he realised that Lianne wasn't with him, and he turned around to find her in exactly the same place as he had left her. She was looking up at the moon that hung above them in the night sky, lightly covered by wispy clouds though its radiance still shone through. And then, Shen thought he was imagining it, but he thought he saw Lianne's expressionless façade slip, if only a fraction, so that as she stared up at the moon, a look of _longing_ and _yearning_ passed over her face, that seemed to shine like a diamond in the light of the moon. As always when he looked upon her, Shen felt something in him become enamoured by her beauty, drawing his eyes to her face so that he was hypnotised and could not look away.

"Are you coming?" he asked suddenly in a voice just loud enough for her to hear. It seemed to break the spell both on her and him, as Shen found he regained his free will, and Lianne's head spun to look at him, surprise on her face before she quickly covered it up with that aloof visage as she began to walk towards him.

But then, they heard a slight rustling in the bushes around them, and both looked to see what it was, and Shen noticed Lianne's eyes widen slightly. From her vantage point, she could see around the bushes and orchids that obscured this surprise from Shen's view. Whatever it was, Lianne saw it coming and quickly tried to sidestep and –

With a bark, a wolf guard burst from behind the bushes, bounding over to the swan before looming above her. Lianne tried to get out of his way, but the wolf snatched her up into his arms, pinning her against his chest. Lianne struggled in his grasp, trying to wriggle free but did nothing to fight him off, even though Shen could see that the wolf was holding her in a painful and rough manner. Shen was stunned for a moment as his eyes went wide at the sight.

"I got her sir!" the wolf shouted over his shoulder. Lianne tried to push herself out of the wolf's grip, but the wolf merely growled, tightening his claws on her, accidentally digging into her shoulder, the material of her robe ripping. Lianne cried out in pain but still did little more than struggle. Her cry seemed to snap Shen out of his shock, as it was soon replaced by rage.

"Enough!" he screamed, eyes shrinking to mere pinpricks as everyone looked at him in shock. "Put her down you idiot!"

"My Lord –!" the wolf went to say in surprise but was cut off as Shen leapt through the air and kicked the guard straight in the face, the talons of his iron claws ripping open the flesh of the wolf's muzzle, causing it to yelp and drop Lianne as he fell backwards.

Lianne landed heavily on the floor in a heap, and not a moment after Shen landed neatly in front of her, stance spread wide and arms in the attack position as he glared at the wolf. The guard held a paw to his bleeding muzzle as he looked up imploringly at his master from where he lay huddled on the ground.

"My Lord! Please! I –"

The wolf didn't get to say another word, as in a flash, Shen pulled a blade from the sleeves of his robes and held it tightly in his grasp. The peacock launched himself at the wolf, weapon aimed for the guard's throat –

"SHEN!" Lianne's voice was so shrill and loud it seemed to cut right through Shen's angry mind, and he stopped with the tip of his weapon poised and quivering a few inches from the wolf's neck.

"My Lord Shen!" Came Zhan's voice as the Boss Wolf came charging from around the corner, two other wolves at his heels as they came upon the scene. Instantly they stilled, not sure what to do. Shen calmly withdrew his weapon, standing tall as he looked at Zhan with cold eyes.

"Throw this mongrel into the jail until I consider his punishment for hurting Lady Lianne," he said stiffly. Zhan nodded, knowing better than to question his master from the look in his eyes, before he and the two other wolves picked up the fallen guard, and dragged him away. Once they were gone, Shen slowly turned to face Lianne with enraged eyes, seeing her shrink away from his stare did nothing to improve his anger either.

"You saw him coming," Shen spoke in a dangerously low and quiet voice. "You knew he was coming, and you did nothing to prevent it,"

"I tried to move out of the way," Lianne said feebly.

"That's not good enough!" Shen snarled, before trying to reign in his anger as he spoke again. "Why didn't you fight him off? He was hurting you, had no right to handle you in such a manner, and yet you did nothing!"

"I couldn't,"

"Yes you could! Even if you don't know how to fight, one strike from your wing would have dazed him!"

"I wouldn't," she murmured.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm a pacifist." She stated, looking up at him with defiance in her eyes.

Shen blinked, completely caught off guard as he stared at the swan before him as she wordlessly picked herself up off of the floor. They both stood there, staring at each other, she with anger and he with confused outrage.

"_What_?"

"I do not participate in violence," she looked at him coldly. "You can be violent all you wish, but I will not raise a hand against you,"

Shen's shock was so absolute, that he suddenly burst into a fit of laughter, though the sound had no mirth to it, and Lianne scowled at him as he looked at her as if she were a naïve child.

"You cannot be serious," Shen said as his laughter subsided.

Lianne's scowl only deepened.

"Oh this is just precious!" Shen cackled as he mocked her. "I knew you were all about elegance, my lady, but I would never have thought you _weak_,"

"Weapons do not need to be raised when a simple conversation can dispel the argument. Blood does not have to spilt when my words can harm you just the same,"

"I know your father to be of acceptable fighting ability. So did your mother tell you that?" Shen raised a brow as he sneered at her. "Did she say that in order to justify her own failure when she probably failed her own martial arts lessons? Did she try to learn Kung Fu perhaps? Was it too much work for her pretty feathers?"

"My mother is above your country's art of war!"

"What?" Shen asked, frowning in confusion.

"Why do you think my name is 'Lianne'?" she asked rhetorically. "My mother is from a western empire, she is not Chinese,"

"If that were true, then how did she come to marry your father?" he sneered.

"My mother's people were branching out over the mountains, exploring to find resources when they came across the edges of the Shēnghuó province." Lianne explained tightly. "There was hostility between my father and the leader of my mother's people, but they managed to put aside their differences to stop war from breaking out. When my father came to the King's court for a visit in order to encourage trust, he met my mother. She was a noblewoman, and when they appeared to like each other, the King offered her in marriage to my father in order to settle the peace."

"Are you stupid enough to believe that?" Shen said spitefully. "Your mother was a trophy of a war that didn't happen, dragged from her home and placed on display. It was probably a better custom then she was used to, her barbaric heritage would have made her used to much harsher –"

Suddenly, Lianne had raced across the space between them until she was beak to beak with Shen, only a few centimetres separating them. She glared at him with stormy eyes filled with hate, and Shen was suddenly quiet as he felt something like lightning sparking off of the enraged swan.

"I may not fight you physically," she hissed at him. "But rest assured _Shen_, you do not _EVER _insult my mother!"

"Is that a threat?" Shen challenged.

"A promise."

Shen snorted in contempt.

"If I could raise a weapon to you I wouldn't: I wouldn't waste the energy on the _peacock prince_ who hides behind his family name and bullies others in order to make up for what he lacks in honour and self-worth!"

Lianne went to brush right past him, and was just in front of the bridge leading back to the Tower, when she felt something tug upon her robe, halting her pace. She turned around to see Shen standing there, his eyes blazing with fury as he pinned the hem of her robe beneath the Iron Claws on his feet. Lianne glared at him.

"Let me go." She growled.

"Make me," Shen dared her in a dangerous voice.

The swan went to say something, perhaps another quick remark, but shut her beak when she saw a look in his eyes, and stubbornly turned her head away from him.

"You can't," he mocked her darkly. "You are here, with me, nowhere to go, placed on display like a trophy – just like your mother,"

"How dare you?!" she hissed, whirling around to face him, pulling against his hold on her robe.

"I dare because I can! Your haughty attitude will no longer be tolerated, _Lady Lianne_," Shen growled at her. "You should work on training it out of you. I will not have this nonsense should we ever be married,"

"I will _never_ be yours! You–you wicked _creature_!" she screeched.

And then, Shen's foot let go. He didn't know why or what he would have done next, but his claws came away from Lianne's robe just as she pulled against him once more, the momentum threw her backwards. Her hip jarred into the railing on the bridge, sending her spinning the other way as she flinched and falling towards the river. Automatically, Shen reached out to catch her, but didn't manage to make it in time as with a scream, Lianne was sent into the waters of the river.

Shen raced to the edge, looking in at the depths in order to see where the lady had gone. The river was not too deep or fast flowing, and Lianne being a waterfowl, she easily manoeuvred in the water as if she were diving, quickly arcing her way back towards the surface. She emerged on the other side of the river, quickly clawing and scrabbling her way up the bank, her robe soaked and heavy from the water, the weight of it threatening to drag her back down.

Watching with wide and stunned eyes, Shen saw her splutter and gasp from her shock as the swan recovered. Several servants, having been drawn by all the commotion, came outside in order to investigate, gasping at the sight they saw.

Lianne then looked over her shoulder to stare directly at Shen, and he felt himself pinned in place for a moment by her stare. Her blue eyes met his red ones, and in that moment, Shen saw all her composure slip away, and he was left with hurt, heartache, loneliness and disappointment. The other emotions Shen could brush away, but it was the disappointment in her eyes, as if he had let her down somehow, that was what got to him. No one had ever been disappointed in him, because his parents and Ah-Ma were supportive and loved him in everything he did; the others such as councillors and politicians, never offered him anything in order to be disappointed. But something about Lianne's eyes, as if she had been giving him a silent test and he had now failed… it made his insides flutter with… distress.

But then, the moment was gone as servants swarmed outside in order to huddle around Lianne and quickly took her away into the Tower, offering her towels and clothing as they ushered her to her chambers.

And Shen was left outside, wondering why he felt so at odds with himself.

* * *

**Author's Note: So thank you to everyone who reviewed followed and Favorited, I really appreciate your support. **

**And now review for this chapter please! Tell me what you think of: Lianne and the Soothsayer? Lianne and Shen's argument's? Shen's frustrations? And this little "accident"? All reviews are welcome, please tell me what you think! :)**


	3. Breaking The Ice

Three – Breaking the Ice

* * *

Ten days passed, and Shen avoided Lianne at all costs. That didn't mean to say that it was hard to avoid her, ever since the little "accident" Lianne had locked herself away in her room, only coming out when her presence was specifically requested. It seemed that they were both avoiding each other. Shen didn't mind in all truth, he would rather forget about that night, when the swan's angry words had cut him as well as any of his own blades. And then there had been that look… heaven above, he still thought about that look, the disappointment in her eyes and what it meant. But Shen occupied his mind with more interesting pursuits as he always did, by working in his laboratory.

Ever since he had been a chick, his parents had been teaching him the secrets of their creation of fireworks, but it wasn't until Shen had been fourteen – after a rather unfortunate incident that had left Shen with the burn marks on his feet – did his father finally consent to teach Shen the really important things. When he was sixteen, Shen had known enough in order to make his own fireworks, and so had requested his own workspace in the tower where he could experiment and work peacefully. His parents had agreed, and so the whole of the seventh floor had been dedicated to Shen's Laboratory, where he worked and spent most of his time. Here he helped when coming up with fireworks for the festivals and sometimes experimented when trying to find new colours and formations. But he did not just work on fireworks, Shen was also an inventor and designer; for example, the talon gauntlets on his feet were of his own design, when the protective shoes he had been given by the doctor were not pleasing him.

Shen's current project to keep his mind busy, was to try and find a way to launch fireworks safely through a metal tube. Always during the festivals there was _someone_ who was burned or had an accident when setting off the fireworks. So, Shen had decided to try and construct a long metal tube, where one could light a fuse safely, setting off the fireworks, the tail fire of which would be contained inside the metal tube, and the fireworks would be sent shooting to wherever the tube was pointing. It was a good plan in theory, though Shen was having trouble with how to create the fuse long enough to reach inside the tube and set off the fireworks.

He was sat at his desk, sketching out his plans for the design of the metal tube, so that he could have a clear picture in his mind of what the finished product would look like. He liked to have a goal before going to start at the basics and working his way towards the final design. But as he sketched, he faintly heard the door to his laboratory open, and Shen stilled with anger, for no one was allowed to just enter without his permission. But then he heard a soft "_clunk_", the sound of wood striking the floor.

Sighing to himself in frustration, Shen turned from his desk in order to face the Soothsayer as she entered his workshop. The Old Goat was scowling at him, her set jaw and the hard look in her usually soft amber eyes, would have made Shen shuffle guiltily as a child. But that trick didn't work on him anymore, instead he only looked at her with bored resignation written on his expression.

"Ah, Soothsayer, how wonderful of you to drop in," Shen muttered with dark sarcasm.

"You have always had a short temper Shen, and you are stubborn to a fault," she said as she came towards him. The loud "_clunk_" of her walking stick against the floor grated on Shen's nerves as he tried to ignore the goat as he turned back to his work. "But this must end. What happened that night must be amended,"

"I am guiltless," Shen intoned. "She fell into the water. It was an accident."

"Caused by your actions. You spoke ill of her family," she sighed. "You poured salt into an open wound: the hurt still plays upon her heart,"

"Do I appear emotionally affected?" he raised a brow with a tight smirk.

"You must make this right, Shen," the Soothsayer looked at him imploringly. "This silence is only allowing the wounds to fester in you both. Not even the fastest horse can catch a word spoken in anger."

"The Lady should not have played with fire if she did not want to get _burned_," Shen muttered icily.

"Sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel."

"Did you come here just to lecture me?" Shen finally snapped at her.

"No. Your parents are holding court with the councillors this afternoon. They wish for you and Lianne to be present,"

"I will send a servant to fetch her,"

"No, you must be the one,"

"I am busy," Shen almost barked over his shoulder.

"I'm sure you will find the time," the Soothsayer gave him a slightly amused smile, and then she left.

Shen scowled to himself his frustration beginning to grate against his temper like a whetstone to a blade.

He hated it when he knew that Ah-Ma was right.

Something between a growl and a sigh escaped his beak as he left his desk and swiftly exited his laboratory, locking it behind him so that no one would disturb it. Not like anyone would, Shen and his parents had made it very clear to all the staff that this was Shen's space and not to be trifled with. Still, Shen locked it in order to be on the right side of caution, so that there wasn't even a chance of an imbecilic servant wondering in and disrupting all his hard work.

Zhan was not with him for once, the wolf elsewhere to see to the security for the council meeting today. Neither the guards nor the servants were allowed in the throne room during such times, it was considered a private business to be discussed in confidence. However, Zhan took the security of the palace seriously, and knew that this was the perfect time for an ambush when the nobility and all political figures were gathered in one room, as they did once every month or so. Zhan would have double the guards on the entrances to the Throne Room, and no one would get past them.

Shen made his way to the ninth floor, where Lianne's room was located, grumbling to himself as he tried to become mentally prepared for what was to come. The Lady Lianne strained his every nerve and constantly tried his patience, and if the Soothsayer was correct, then she would only be worse now that she had been isolated for the past ten days. But Shen never accepted defeat, and so he purposefully marched to her door and tapped his talons upon the door, politely light, but demanding in frequency. It wasn't long before the door was finally opened, and a gazelle's head poked out.

"Oh! Lord Shen!" the maid exclaimed, eyes widening in fright. Shen sneered at the gazelle, but took a moment so that he wouldn't snap.

"I wish to speak with your mistress," he said coolly.

"Sh-she has expressed that she d-does not want to see you, my Lord," the gazelle murmured fearfully.

"Then as I am your Lord, you will allow my entrance into these rooms," Shen glared at her.

"Oh!" the maid squeaked. "I-I… I can't –"

"You will, or I will see to it that you will be forcibly removed from this tower and from Gongmen City!" Shen hissed at her dangerously, his patience close to the breaking point.

"Stand aside," said a voice.

The Gazelle looked over her shoulder to see who had spoken, her eyes wide and on the verge of tears. She nodded, and moved aside as Lianne walked past her and came out into the hallway, forcing Shen to step back so that she could come out. Lianne closed the door to her chambers behind her, and stood there glaring at Shen.

"Slighting me is one thing, Lord Shen," Lianne murmured to him in an icy cold voice. "But only a coward wounds those who do not have the power to fight back,"

Shen tried very hard to not spit out his quick retort.

"I wish to speak with you," he said instead.

"I have no desire to speak with you," she snapped.

"Come now, there is no need to be childish about the situation," Shen sneered at her.

"You insulted my family, my honour, and you humiliated me,"

"I was under the impression that swans could swim," Shen gave her a dark smirk.

"You will leave my presence, _Sir_." Lianne growled at him in probably the most dangerous voice he had ever heard from her.

"Forgive me, I lost track of my real purpose here," he murmured in an almost bored tone. "I came to inform you, my Lady, that my parents shall be holding court later this afternoon in the Throne Room. Your presence is required,"

Lianne seemed to pause, carefully thinking over what he had just said. For a moment, Shen thought she would refuse, but then, she looked back at him, her head held high regally as a cool composure came over her features.

"Very well," she murmured.

"I will come and collect you before the appointed time."

"As you wish," she said, before turning back around and opening the door.

"Why did you look at me like that?" Shen blurted out before he could stop himself. Lianne turned and looked at him, blinking in confusion as she stared at him. "When you came out of the water," Shen clarified. "You gave me a look of disappointment; why?"

"Because I had hoped you would be above the rumours that circulated about you," She whispered in a seemingly broken voice, and Shen was stunned to see a single tear enter her left eye. "But it appears that I was wrong,"

And with that she closed the door.

Shen stood there in shock, unable to move as his mind sorted through what had just occurred, another feeling of distress beginning to rise inside of him. This revelation seemed to have completely caught him off guard.

He knew of the rumours of which she spoke of, ones that said he was death, a bad omen, a stain upon the peacock family because of his colouring; that he was evil, a nasty creature not fit for his office, and unworthy. Shen hated the fact that each time he heard one of these rumours, he felt like a blade had pierced him and gone right through his body. For no matter what he did: the new fireworks that he came up with, the decisions he made when his father asked of his opinion in matters of state, his intelligence when solving problems; none of it did any good. He was always a revolting and evil thing to the outside world. After a time when he had been in his mid-teens, he had stopped trying to please everyone, he had stopped trying to win the affections of councillors and governors who were determined to see him as nothing more than an albino abomination. Instead, he gave them the monster they wanted, his cruelty to them releasing his anger and frustration, but it still hurt and fed his rage when he heard a new whisper in the corridors. He only had Ah-Ma and his parents who had ever treated him with any kind of decency, who did not see him or treat him as a monster, the only ones who loved him.

But now, to hear that Lianne had wanted him to show her that the rumours were not true, to now know that she had heard the rumours but had dismissed them, wanting instead for him to prove them wrong, to show her who he really was… it cut him deeper than any blade of hurt pride the aristocrats threw his way. On some deep level within his mind, he almost grieved the fact that he had had a chance – although admittedly he had not known that the chance was there – but he had stripped away that very chance himself. He despised the fact that Lianne was stating that he had become the very thing the councillors, the governors, the aristocrats and the nobility had labelled him to be.

The whole situation left him in a state of shock to say the least.

* * *

A few hours later, Shen came back to Lianne's rooms in order to collect her. He waited in the hallway as a maid told him that Lianne would only be a few moments. He waited, until finally, she emerged. She wore an elegant silk robe a dark blue, like the colour of a stormy sea, her wings hidden beneath the huge sleeves that were folded in front of her chest, with black on the sash and in hem of the gown. She appeared regal and perfect in every way, her white feathers and the gold colouring upon her head making the naked beauty of her flesh shine in stark contrast to the dark colours she wore.

"Greetings, My Lady," he said formerly with a short bow of his head.

Lianne merely nodded back to him. Shen indicated the way, and led her around the circular banister towards the stairs at the other side.

"Have you ever attended a Council meet before?" Shen asked.

"Once or twice with my mother and father," she said quietly. "Though I do not know what your parents will expect of me,"

"I suspect they mainly want you there in order to allow you to become familiar with how things work here. But should they require more of you then I will help you," he stated.

Lianne blinked and looked at him, her eyes clearly showing her surprise and confusion. Shen ignored her, and continued to lead her. When they reached the stairs that would lead to the Throne Room on the tenth and final floor above, they were met with a host of wolves standing to attention by the stairs, Zhan with them. The Wolf bowed to the peacock and swan as they approached.

"The Tower is secure, my Lord Shen," the Boss Wolf said respectfully. "You two are the last to arrive,"

"Carry on, Zhan," Shen nodded to the wolf dismissively as he passed.

"My Lord, Lady Lianne," Zhan murmured with another bow of his head.

"Thank you, Master Zhan," Lianne murmured before she followed Shen up the stairs and entered the throne room.

It was a huge circular room that dominated the top of the entire tower. Two circles of columns held up the high pointed ceiling, the outer row of red and gold whilst the inner was of black and silver, the design on them like twisting tree roots that wound their way up towards the roof. The floor was of polished black marble, with a rather unique design so that the constellations of the stars were depicted upon the floor as they appeared in the night sky. The walls were red with the same circular windows that allowed in the illumination of the afternoon sun to fill the room. Doors to the north were opened to allow a calm breeze to enter and cool the heat that had accumulated with all of the people crowding around, revealing a balcony that likely spanned the entire outside of the throne room, meaning for an open atrium space. It also meant that should any sign of danger occur, Shen and his family could jump from the tower and glide to safety. In the centre of the room, was a dais of raised steps that led to the huge peacock throne, made of gold with diamonds set in the back, with sapphire blue painted upon it. Shen's father sat upon the throne, his tail feather fanned out behind him against the large throne, making him seem like the King he was. Shen's mother, Lady Jing, stood beside him and the pair were looking out over the assembly.

As Shen and Lianne entered, every pair of eyes in the room turned to face them, from officials of state and councillors that were of everything from Goats to sheep to pigs to foxes and dogs. Shen ignored them as he kept his head held high as he escorted the Lady Lianne towards the throne and his mother and father. The people bowed to them as they passed, and Shen fought the smirk that threatened to play across his beak, but kept himself in check. As they approached, Lord Goa stood, tail feathers still fanned out in order to show his authority to the rest of the assembly, a soft smile on his features; Shen and Lianne bowed to him in unison before Goa addressed them.

"Welcome, Lady Lianne," Lord Goa said, his voice projecting to the rest of the room that gave him a powerful and commanding presence. "It is a privilege to have you here with us today,"

"You honour me by allowing me here, your majesty," Lianne replied, her tone formal, but Shen was impressed by the way she projected her voice as well his father, so that the whole room could hear her without her having to raise her voice to a shout.

"Let us begin then," Lord Goa nodded.

Shen led Lianne to the left of the steps that led to the throne, where they stood at the bottom, the closest to the peacock royalty. They stood side by side, a symbol of the future (or in this case not-very-promising-potential for a future) of Gongmen City. There they stood, watching as the court came to business.

As always, Shen considered it a dull affair, having to stifle several yawns throughout the next two hours. He was almost impressed that Lianne did not move a single inch throughout the entire thing, only watching everything silently, her eyes however, still sharp and never missing a thing. But the entire meet was the same thing that Shen experienced whenever he did not have an excuse not to attend these events: as summer came close, officials responsible for nearby villages wanted to have supplies encase of an upcoming draught, wanting wells to be repaired, safeguards in place should rivers or lakes run low so that the peasants could have a fresh supply of drinking water. The administrators gave a report of the city funding, and there was also reports on the progress of the current growing crop for the year. Shen paid little attention to it all, only really keeping track of the main points in the conversations. The only thing remarkably interesting in the whole ordeal was when an official responsible for a village that bordered the forest to the north, gave a story that jackal bandits were terrorising his village and the pig wanted reinforcements to be taken to help secure the safety of the people. It wasn't long after that, that Lord Goa stood, bringing a hush over the assembly.

"My Lords, Ladies, Councillors and administrators," he said with that same regal voice that commanded the attention of the entire room. "Myself and Lady Jing shall now retire from this assembly, this meet is now adjourned. Mr Feng," he called to the pig that had asked for soldiers. "Regarding your situation with these bandits, I shall have my son, Shen, see to this business."

"As you wish, father," Shen said automatically with no enthusiasm.

Lord Goa nodded, before taking his wife's wing in his, and they both walked gracefully down the steps and exited the throne room, everyone bowing to them as they passed. Despite the fact that the assembly had been dismissed, not everyone left right away, instead they talked and murmured amongst themselves.

"Excuse me," Shen said to Lianne as he left her side and came over to the pig, Mr Feng, in order to get this business done with. The talk was brief, as Shen displayed his impatience with no subtlety. Mr Feng spoke quickly, giving Shen an outline of what had happened to his village and what the bandits were doing and where they retreated to somewhere in the forest. Shen was only half listening, taking down mental notes of the important factors that he would relay to Zhan later when he would order the Boss Wolf to organise a small force to deal with this infestation.

When he was done with Mr Feng, a couple of other officials came to speak with him, just on matters that would force them to speak with him, only of similar circumstance to Mr Feng, tighter security to their business, villages in need of more protection etc. However, he stopped listening when he noticed that Lianne was still where he had left her, and she wasn't alone. He had expected her to leave as soon as possible, but instead she had stayed, and now she was talking with one of the councillors, Mr Wong, a sheep on Lord Goa's inner council and one of his advisers. Shen felt every sense hone in on the pair as they talked, his dislike of the sheep evident as he glared at the mammal's back.

"How are you finding life in Gongmen City, My Lady?" Wong was asking her.

"Lord Goa and his family have been very kind to me, I am rather fortunate and honoured to be here," Lianne said in the way that Shen had come to know was an automatic response, and not of any real meaning. However, it was completely missed on the councillor.

"You honour our city, Lady Lianne," the councillor said as he bowed deeply to her. "I once travelled to Shēnghuó in my youth; it is a very beautiful place."

"Thank you, Councillor," Lianne said, a hint of longing entering her eyes.

"It is a most joyous occasion to be uniting a family of your great lineage to the noble peacocks. A great coupling indeed: I pray for an auspicious marriage between you and our Lord Shen. And, heaven willing, you will bring strength to your future children,"

"Excuse me?" Lianne raised a brow, the only thing to show her surprise.

"Well, it is well known amongst the council that Lord Shen is given a frail and weak disposition due to one of his… colouring," Lianne's eyes flickered over to Shen before returning to the Sheep before her.

"His _colouring_?" Lianne's eyes narrowed in suspicion and Shen thought he saw a slight hint of anger in those oceanic blue eyes.

"It does not have anything to do with it being against the colour white, your Highness," Councillor Wong said quickly, as if he were trying to sooth _her_. "Despite his parents' good breeding, it is most unfortunate that their son was born… _albino_." The sheep whispered as if he were retelling a dirty secret.

Shen felt himself shaking with rage at the fact that the councillor was insulting him whilst he was in the very same room! He was used to this kind of treatment of course, especially from Wong, who had had a great dislike of him since he had been young. But still! If Shen's favour with Lianne wasn't already precarious enough, telling her that he was an albino would not help things! Shen's feathers were itching to fling one of his throwing knives, he would have paid the world just to see this pathetic animal dead and bleeding onto the polished marble floor. But Shen watched Lianne very carefully, his scowl deepening as he observed her stiff and regal posture.

"Everyone knows that albinos are very unfortunate to be of less good health then the norm," the councillor continued, unaware of Shen glaring at him with rage, and that the swan beside him had not moved a single inch, her eyes becoming stormy. "And it was feared that Shen's abnormality would cause him to breed sickly young. But with you and the strength in your family heritage, I have absolute faith that you will counteract and overcome this weakness,"

Lianne's eyes shifted for but a fraction of second to look at Shen, and for a moment their eyes met. Shen found himself holding his breath as the swan stared at him, it was almost as if he were waiting for something, but for what he did not know. Blue eyes looked straight into his, as if she could see his soul, and Shen wondered if she would openly agree with the Councillor just out of spite in some play of revenge against Shen. He would've done the same in her shoes, but it still caused the anger inside of him to boil. But then Lianne's eyes turned away, and she lifted her head regally as she looked down her beak in a superior manner at Councillor Wong.

"Rest assured councillor, simple paleness will not discourage me," she said, in a voice just loud enough so that she was not shouting or even raising her voice, but her words were projected so that they were carried to the ears of everyone in the throne room. "And should Shen and I choose to wed, you will see for yourself how strong _Shen's_ children will be, with or without my genetic input."

"That is… marvellous to hear," the councillor said, not sure where to go with this sudden part of the conversation, and also keenly aware that everyone in the room had now turned their attention to face them and was staring at them. "I am sure you will make an excellent mother,"

"Indeed. I remember my uncle telling me of how fierce and protective my grandmother was when she became a mother. During a festival, she brought her young children to the city when they were just chicks, and in the hustle and bustle of the crowd, a _sheep_ stood on my father's foot. It was an accident of course, and my grandmother would have been more than understanding... had she not had the sheep flogged and beaten in the main square in front of the entire city for even daring to bring any harm towards her child."

The sheep had gone pale, and the whole room was now silent and hanging off of Lianne's every word.

"So you can imagine Councillor," Lianne said with a sweet smile. "How I would be most… _displeased_ to hear of any talk against the health of my children. But I'm sure you meant no harm, I am not new to these types of rumours, what with my mother being a black swan and therefore considered to be quite _abnormal_," the entire room gasped and Wong's jaw fell open as he realised what he had done.

"Y-y-your Ladyship!" he squeaked. "I-I didn't m-mean to –"

"In future, Mr Wong," Lianne spoke in an icy tone that could have frozen the sea if she had directed her anger upon it. "You will refrain from speaking of such comments in front of me, and you will also show more respect when speaking of your future leader and my potential betrothed."

"Y-y-yes My Lady, I-I –" the sheep stammered, shuffling about with terror as he stared up at her with wide and almost tearful eyes.

"That is good," Lianne's sweet but dangerous smile had returned. "We wouldn't want Shen finding this out, he might remember this when he comes into power. I am sure he will forget, but I would hate to be _reminded_ of this in the future. I would not tell him intentionally of course… but I've heard that pillow talk can be quiet an _enlightening _experience."

And with that, she strode passed the still bumbling councillor and headed for the stairs and left the throne room, everyone watching her leave. Shen was staring most of all, his eyes wide in shock and his beak hanging open. He seemed frozen for perhaps a full minute before his brain finally caught up with everything that had happened. And then, without realising what he was doing, he dismissed the court and quickly ran after the swan, going through the tower as guards and servants pointed him in the direction in which Lianne had gone.

"My Lord Shen?" he heard Zhan call after him when he passed the wolf who had been entering the tower from the main square. But Shen ignored him, carrying on towards the front doors, before hearing the pounding of the wolf's footsteps as he quickly followed after him.

They exited the tower, and Shen quickly looked about, trying to find the swan. He wasn't entirely sure why he was so intent to go after her, but after that display when she had defended him, he just felt a need to go after her, to demand answers from her. Her anger towards Wong's remarks about colouring was understandable, now that Shen knew her mother was a black swan, a lot made sense. But that didn't explain why she had defended his health and genetic ability or even the rest for that matter. As he came outside, Shen made his way through the courtyard, looking about, the Boss Wolf behind him, following and keenly listening and scenting the air as he did so.

"She's close," he growled. Shen said nothing, only continued on. When he rounded one of the outbuildings that held the guard armoury, he froze, and quickly pushed Zhan back as they both hid behind the corner, and peeked out.

About thirty feet away, Lianne was standing in the shadows, talking to a duck. Whatever they were talking about, neither Shen nor Zhan could hear them, and so watched intently.

"That's just a duck who trades your parents' fireworks," Zhan growled softly so that only Shen could hear him. "I just left him after checking over his supplies. I didn't see her,"

Again, Shen said nothing, instead focusing entirely on what was happening before him. The duck gave what looked like a folded piece of paper to the Lady before him, saying something as he did so. Lianne held the paper to her chest, eyes closing as she treated it like it was her own child. She then looked over her shoulders, checking to make sure that she and the duck were alone, before her slipping a wing into her robes and giving something to the duck, who quickly tucked it away and out of sight. Lianne and he exchanged only a few more words, before Lianne hurried off back towards the Tower. Shen watched her go, before quickly looking back to see the duck waddling over towards his cart filled with wares.

"Go," was all he said, and Zhan quickly bounded off towards the duck. Shen came out from his hiding spot to walk deliberately slowly and regally after him as Zhan shouted to the duck, before snatching him up by the scruff of the neck in a single paw. The duck squawked and babbled in hysterics, pleading for his life most likely, but became silent when he heard the scraping noise of Shen's Iron Claws against the stone. Zhan placed the duck before Shen, though kept a heavy paw at his neck, a claw placed against his throat.

"M-My Lord!" the duck almost shrieked hysterically. "P-Please! I've done nothing –"

"You were talking with the Lady Lianne," Shen said in a voice that was deceptively silky soft but with a superior arrogance. "Tell me what you said,"

"The good Lady was just exchanging pleasantries my lord!" the duck said almost breathlessly.

"Why would she talk to you?" Shen sneered.

"I trade with Shēnghuó, my Lord! Sh-she simply wishes to know o-of my encounters with her home," the duck was stumbling over his words in panic, eyes shifting from Zhan to Shen in fear, giving away his lie.

"What is your name?" Shen asked in a rather bored tone.

"L-Lang, m-my lord…"

"Very well then Lang," Shen said, leaning closer to the duck as his eyes grew dangerously small with his short patience. "You are going to tell me why Lady Lianne was speaking to you, or I may have to make this _very unpleasant,_"

The duck gave a very loud gulp... but said nothing.

In a flash, Shen withdrew one of his knives and held it a centimetre away from Lang, the blade pointing right between his eyes. Lang shrieked in fear, and struggled but it was useless as Zhan held him firmly in place. Shen glared down at the duck.

"Okay! Okay!" Lang screeched, shaking with terror. "She has me deliver messages to Shēnghuó!"

"What kind of messages?" Shen asked in a soft but impatient growl.

"I don't know!" at the words, Shen's eyes became like steel as he pressed the point of the knife to the duck's head. "I swear I don't know! I don't look at the letters she gives me! I only know that they must be delivered to the Lady Amelia at the Shan Palace and no one else!"

_Her mother_? Shen thought, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"That was what she gave to you?" he asked.

"Yes!"

"And what did you give to her?"

"A reply back from Lady Amelia!"

Shen did not remove his weapon from Lang's head as he nodded to Zhan. The wolf then quickly shoved his free paw into the pockets of Lang's robes, searching and rummaging, even as the duck quacked in surprise and indignation. Finally, the wolf pulled out a small envelope from one of the inside pockets and held it out for Shen. The peacock finally withdrew his knife, placing it back up his sleeve as he then took the letter from the wolf's paw, carefully opening it and pulling out the letter to read.

_Mother,_

_I haven't had a chance to look at your letter before giving this to Lang; he's in a hurry this time, so I have had to be quick. I'm sorry my first letter was so brief, but I had to be sure that this would work. _

_I can't express how much I miss you mother. I'm so sorry I ever did this to you, please forgive me, my pride tore us apart. I wish I'd never said those things! But I can't say I'm sorry to father, I'm still too angry with him for what he's done. If I did, it would only feed him, no matter how much he may love me, I don't feel it mother, and it hurts._

_Everything here reminds me of home, I want to be with you so much, but I can't. Shen has finally left me alone, but now I'm all alone in my room. The maids won't talk to me, I have nothing to do other than paint, only when the Soothsayer comes do I finally have someone to talk to. It's so lonely here; it feels like I'm walking through a tomb rather than a home. Lord Goa and Lady Jing are kind, but seem oblivious to me. I just want you here mother, or to come home to you. I want the Moon to take me up from the waters and bring me home to you. _

_I hope this letter finds you safe and well._

_All my love to you, _

_Lianne_

As Shen read through the letter, he felt something open up inside of him, and he felt like he was on the edge of a canyon gazing down into the abyss, a sense of discomfort washing over him from the depths. When he read the letter, he did not read the proud and elegant Lady he had been shown, instead, he read from a broken and frightened child that was wailing for help, for someone, anyone, to take away the monsters. Shen would remember when he would wake from nightmares as a young child, screaming until either his mother or Ah-Ma came to sooth him. But this child had no one… her comforting arms and soothing words had been taken from her, and Shen hadn't helped.

He was still angry at her snobbish behaviour, but then he remembered what she had said to him, that she had been disappointed that he had only solidified the rumours that she had heard. He suddenly realised what she had wanted from him: the voice that would banish the monsters that plagued her nightmares.

Shen had never been one to accept defeat, and he would be damned if he would be defeated now! A plan forming in his mind, Shen turned back to the duck that was still in Zhan's grasp with cold eyes as he sneered down his beak at the peasant. He then carefully placed the letter back in the envelope, resealing it, and placed it back within the inside pocket of Lang's robes. He then brought his eyes to meet Lang's until their beaks were inches apart.

"You will deliver this message, as I am sure you have been paid to do," Shen said in a quiet voice but had a subtle hint of a dangerous growl to it. "You will continue to do as the Lady Lianne instructs you, and you will do so as she demands. And you will not breathe a word of this encounter between us to _anyone_. Should you not do any of these things… I will make your life _very uncomfortable_," and as if to emphasis his master's words, Zhan squeezed the duck's neck a little harder.

"Yes! Yes!" Lang squawked in fright. "I'll do as you say!"

"Very good," Shen purred mockingly, and then motioned to Zhan. "Release him." Zhan dropped the duck, who fell in a heap on the floor, before hastily picking himself up and backing away hastily.

"Yes, Lord Shen! Thank you, Lord Shen!" he babbled, before running as fast as his webbed feet would allow back to his cart.

Shen was no longer paying attention as he turned to head back towards the tower.

"Do you have anything to report?" he asked casually to the Boss Wolf who was no doubt walking behind him.

"Not much sir, just reports of theft in the lower districts and some folks at the harbour claiming on seeing a ghost in the night," Zhan said to him.

"Very well," Shen murmured, not really listening. "Mr Feng has a village north of the city, he is reporting that a band of jackal bandits are attacking the village. Gather a small batch of your wolves and have them clean these vermin out."

"Yes Lord Shen," Zhan bowed to his master, before quickly turning around and heading towards the barracks.

Shen carried on into the tower, ignoring the servants that bowed to him as he made his way towards the fifth floor, where the library was located. He was pleased to see that no one was inside, and so quickly set to work. He began by heading straight to the section of exploration and then by author, he picked out books and scrolls that seemed promising enough, but upon reading a few pages, he quickly learned they were not suited for his purpose and so replaced them.

He worked long into the night, hours passed, the time for dinner came and went, and Shen continued on his search as he went through book after book, scroll after scroll in an attempt to find it… He could have sworn it was here… No one disturbed him, no one came knocking, and Shen was quite thankful for the small peace that the silence of the library provided him. It was a shelter away from everything that had happened in his life as of late, and he found comfort in knowing that nothing was needed of him, and that in this hall of knowledge, he could get lost and not be found. He only ever came into the library when in need of research for any of his projects, usually too busy or too impatient to sit and read a book for no apparent reason. He still had that view… but he could see the appeal of the comfort one could find when losing themselves to the peace of mind it brought.

It was approaching midnight when finally, Shen's exhausted eyes rested upon an old and tattered book, rather thin and squeezed in amongst all the fat tomes on the shelf. Plucking it out, he examined the moth eaten pages and fraying leather cover with slight distaste, but nevertheless, opened it up and began to read. He only had to read the first paragraph before his heart lifted with excitement and he knew that his searching was finally over!

Snapping the book shut, Shen quickly marched from the library and to the balcony, noticing how deserted the corridors looked with only a few guards on their rounds. The servants were probably tucked up in bed on the lower floors, and it was surely past the time when any of the royal family would still be awake. But Shen was not deterred by this minor detail, and so quickly jogged his way up the next four flights of stairs until he came to the ninth floor. He came straight to Lianne's room, and began to pound the knuckles of his talons upon the door. He could hear faint noises inside, obviously Lianne was alone as her maids were asleep in their quarters, but Shen faintly heard a muffled "coming" and so waited. Not a few minutes later, Lianne opened the door, a white robe covering her nightdress.

Upon seeing him, Lianne frowned in confusion and perhaps even a little irritation. She stepped out into the hall, closing the door to her rooms behind her as she did so. She frowned at Shen, her eyes focusing on his face as if she were trying to figure out a complex puzzle. Her wings folded in front of her chest, feathers subconsciously holding her robe closed so that there was no chance of Shen seeing anything. He would have chuckled had he not been completely focused on her eyes as he studied her, watching her as if she were tiger hiding in the shadows.

"What do you want Shen?" Lianne finally asked with a slight huff. "Do you realise the hour it is?"

"Why did you defend me?" Shen demanded straight away, ignoring her question as he stared unblinkingly into her sparkling blue eyes.

"I'm sorry?" Lianne asked, completely taken aback by the sudden question.

"Earlier today, you humiliated Councillor Wong in order to defend me. Why?"

"I should think you would be grateful –" she started to retort to him but was cut off when Shen took a menacing step forward, leaning in close to her as his eyes glared like embers. Lianne shrunk away from him until her back was pressed against the closed door behind her, eyes going wide with equal parts fear and surprise as she stared back at him.

"Tell me why." Shen ground out tightly.

A heavy silence hung between them as they stared at each other, Lianne seemingly short of breath with having him so close. An eternity seemed to pass in which they were both frozen in place, before it was broken when Lianne gave a heavy sigh, her head drooping slightly.

"No matter what you may have done to me Shen," Lianne murmured, her voice soft and seemingly exhausted as she looked away from him with sad eyes. "No one deserves to be humiliated and scorned for something they were born with, something they didn't choose."

Shen blinked, slightly surprised at the honesty in her words. But nodded, clearing his throat as he stepped back, giving them both some much needed breathing room.

"I came here, in the hopes that we could start anew," Shen said, earning a surprised yet suspicious look from Lianne. "Certain factors have come to my attention that I did not take into consideration before. I hope that you can forgive me of my actions, and that we can move past this animosity,"

"Alright…" Lianne said slowly, cautiously as she turned to face Shen fully with a hint of interest.

"That is why I have brought you a gift –"

"I have told you, I do not want your bribery –" Lianne scowled.

"This is not bribery!" Shen snapped, before quickly taking a deep breath in order to calm himself. "You said that you would not take it from a heart that was without feeling. Well know that I am only hopeful that you will take this gift for what it is," And with that, he pulled the book from his robes.

"A book?" Lianne raised a brow at him but her tone was not rejecting. Shen carefully handed her the battered volume, the perfectionist in him wishing that it was in better condition. Lianne delicately took it from him, running her feathers over the cover as her eyes took it all in with great curiosity. "What is this? '_An Exploration Into The Western Lands Beyond Fair China_' by Ping Dao… Is this real?" Lianne murmured in wonder as she sharply looked back up at Shen.

"It is," he nodded.

Lianne was left stunned as she stared at Shen, eyes as wide as dishes as her beak fell slightly open. She quickly turned her gaze back to the book, holding it as if it was a gift from heaven itself, bringing it close to her chest and she hugged it. Lianne looked at Shen, her eyes searching his, but for what, he did not know.

"Thank you," she finally whispered softly. "I honestly do not know what to say… This is… _incredible_,"

"Then take it as my apology for my behaviour,"

"Yes... thank you,"

"You are welcome, my lady," Shen murmured.

"Lianne," she corrected.

"Lianne…" he said a little hesitantly, his eyes shifting slightly with suspicion. "Good night… Lianne,"

"Good night, Shen," Lianne murmured before turning back to her door and slipping back within her chambers. But before she closed the door on him, she gave him one last look, the corners of her beak twitching into the beginnings of a smile. And Shen realised that he had never seen her smile before. It wasn't a full smile, not yet.

But it was a start.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! So I hope you liked the chapter. Yay! Shen and Lianne are not completely at each other's throats now, so that's something. And can I just say a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed, your enthusiasm really makes my day :) **

**And please review! Tell me what you think of: Shen's conversation with the Soothsayer? Shen's reaction to Lianne's disappointment? The Assembly? Lianne humiliating Mr Wong? Shen reading the letter? Shen's gift to Lianne? The start of their... "friendship" shall we say? **

**Would love to hear your thoughts, and until next chapter, farewell. **


	4. Fathers

Four – Fathers

* * *

Time passed a little more smoothly in the Tower of the Sacred Flame. Shen and Lianne were now at least on civil terms with each other, to which she was actually rather thankful for, the constant hostility was incredibly taxing and only added to her misery. But now at least, she could focus her mind on other things in order to distract her. She still kept in contact with her mother, exchanging letters with Lang every two weeks; though she had noticed that he was oddly very compliant and a bumbling wreck whenever he was around her, whereas before he was smooth and usually over cautious with her. She had to wonder why the sudden change of heart…

Her days consisted of awakening to breakfast and then a morning chat with the Soothsayer who came by in order to have seemingly trivial conversation with her. But Lianne enjoyed the company, it was refreshing, and she felt oddly at ease in the old goat's company. Then Lianne would occupy herself through any number of tasks, mainly reading her book, the gift that Shen had given to her. She was still deeply touched by the gesture, for despite the fact that her mother was born from a different culture, Lianne knew very little of her mother's homeland. Not only did Lord Chang not wish of his daughter to be learned in such things, but it seemed that the Lady Amelia was brought some grief by the mention of her home. Perhaps it was because she missed her home, or she resented the way she had been given over to Chang – despite the fact that she did feel affection for him. Either way, her mother never talked about it, and so Lianne had accepted it to be a subject that she would always be clueless about. But Shen had changed that, with his gift, he was obviously oblivious to the weight that such a gift would bring; the wealth of information about Lianne's history was contained within the pages, and she would be forever grateful to him for at least giving her that piece of her heritage.

This would continue until the early afternoon, when Shen would come and find her, the pair of them still keeping to the agreement of spending at least one hour of each day in the other's company. Usually they would simply talk with one another or would do simple activities. Shen once gave Lianne a complete tour of the Tower, the first floor comprising of the kitchens whilst the second floor was dedicated to the servants' quarters and other such rooms of not real importance. The third floor held the royal physician's rooms on one side of the tower, with the Soothsayer's chambers on the other side. Lianne was also interested to learn that this was where Shen and every royal peacock who had ruled Gongmen City had been born. As Lianne knew, the fourth floor consisted of the dining hall on one side whilst the other was more of a "party" room, more like a ballroom in all honesty, a place to entertain guests. Lianne was very interested when Shen brought her to the fifth floor and showed her the gigantic Library that spanned the whole floor, curling in the circular formation of the tower itself. The wealth of knowledge that must have been stored in such books was stupendous to think about, and Lianne made a mental note to return very soon. The sixth floor held mainly class rooms, studies and offices for business of state. The seventh, Shen only described as his "Laboratory", showing her briefly how it was his work space, and from the quick peek she got of the inside, it was dedicated to all of his little projects and hobbies and other matters of importance to him; she also noticed how he kept it strictly locked, as if he feared a thief to break in and steal his work. The eighth floor held the royal bedchambers, where Shen and his parent's chambers were kept, which didn't surprise Lianne considering the auspicious number eight, it only seemed fitting. The last two she knew, as the ninth floor was held for guests and honoured visitors quarters, and the tenth and last floor held the throne room.

It would be after their allotted time together that they would both go to dinner, where they ate with Lord Goa and Lady Jing, and thankfully the whole dinner issue was no longer an awkward affair. After that, everyone would part ways in order to relax for the evening in their own respected ways before turning to bed. And then the next day would begin anew.

It was one early afternoon, when Lianne was in her chambers, sitting before the fire as she had a canvas set before her and was trying to paint the roaring fire. She wasn't trying to capture an exact replica, instead she was mainly using it as a reference for colours and to try and get the movement of the flames right, as hers were currently twisting and blazing, with sparks showering out as if the fire had just hissed and spit from being poked. It was a challenge, but one that Lianne was determined to conquer, as she allowed the brush to curve down the canvas, setting an amber highlight to the already ruby red flame.

Suddenly she heard a knock upon her door, and seeing as she had dismissed her maids after breakfast, there was no way for her to tell who was there. But it wasn't that difficult, she only had to look outside to see the afternoon sun in order to realise that it was Shen.

"Come in," she called, returning to her painting. She heard the door open and close, and heard the metallic scrape of the iron claws against the floor as Shen walked in.

"Greetings Lianne," Shen said. "I trust that you had a pleasant morning?"

"There was nothing unusual. And you?" she asked, still not turning from her painting.

"Zhan's wolves returned from clearing out the bandits to the north,"

"Are they alright?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

"Only a few minor injuries." Shen said dismissively. "The Bandits are either dead or scattered,"

"That is fortunate to hear," as she said this, she heard the noise of Shen walking and then felt his presence as he came up behind her to stand so that he could look over her shoulder at the painting. Lianne tried to fight down a self-conscious blush as her heart skipped a beat. Shen leaned forward so that she could see his face out of the corner of her eye. He was only inspecting her work, but if anyone walked in then they might think… Lianne forced down such thoughts as she attempted to carry on her work as if nothing was out of place.

"I did not know you were an artist," Shen mused aloud, his eyes following her brush as she carefully and lightly tapped at the canvas with the amber, creating the effect of fluttering sparks.

"It is just a hobby," she murmured, trying to brush off the subject as she then decided to put her brushes and paints away. But even when she moved off, Shen continued to still stare at the painting, tilting his head quizzically.

"A hobby that you seem to have perfected," he said to her. "This is impressive,"

Lianne paused for a moment, for she had never heard Shen compliment anything like that, not even when his wolves did something really good, or when he enjoyed something. Lianne had the impression that it took a lot to impress Shen, and she almost felt at odds with how to take such a thing.

"Thank you," she eventually mumbled, carrying on putting everything away in a slight rush. "Where is Master Zhan today?" she asked in order to relieve the silence that had developed.

"He is overseeing the wolves that returned, checking over the watch, and what have you." Shen murmured nonchalantly. "I was wondering if you would like to leave the Tower grounds,"

"What?" Lianne turned to give him a confused yet interested look as she raised a brow at him.

"I have no pressing issues to attend to today," He explained. "And I thought it would make a nice change of scenery if I showed you the fireworks factory."

"Oh, well… Yes, Shen, thank you. I would like that," Lianne mumbled, a little surprised at the suggestion but that did not mean that she wasn't interested. In fact, her feathers were suddenly itching in order to be going, to see more of Gondmen City.

"Excellent, then we can leave at once," Shen smirked, but then, to Lianne's confusion he headed towards her bedroom, opening the slide door as he stepped inside.

"Err – Shen!" Lianne quickly exclaimed in alarm, the peacock looked at her, raising a brow as if her outburst was rather bothersome. "What are you doing?"

"Allowing for us to leave," he stated simply as if he were explaining to a child.

"I don't understand, shouldn't we –?"

"We can leave this way." Shen then walked to the door that led to her balcony, and as they both stepped out, Shen gestured out towards the city with the flare of a true showman. Lianne saw the building that he was pointing to, a rather large industrious building that lay on the northern edge of the city upon a high cliff beside the sea. There was a distance of perhaps a few miles maybe less, and obviously Shen intended for them to fly there. "This way we can get to the factory directly, as I have no patience to have the public gawk at us for the carriage ride there," Shen stated.

"You can fly? I thought Peacocks were flightless birds,"

"Unfortunately." Shen muttered under his breath. "Fear not, I am a rather decent glider,"

"Then I will be sure to fly easily so you can keep up," Lianne couldn't help her playful smirk, and didn't see Shen's scowl as she quickly leapt from the balcony and into the air, her wings extending to their full length, silver tips glinting in the sunlight. The thrum as she beat her wings was a powerful noise that sent a slight breeze onto Shen's face, carrying her natural scent like that of fresh-water and jasmine. Shen took a few steps back, before taking a running start for the balcony edge, metal talons scraping the floor, robes billowing around him. As he leapt clear of the tower, he shot out his wing and extended his tail feathers into a large fan behind him, the feathers gathering the wind beneath him as he was propelled onward. Lianne smiled slightly as she went after Shen, noticing how he was rather fast for a gliding bird, but she easily caught up.

"Rather nice view from here, don't you agree?" Shen called to her over the roaring winds.

"Yes it is!" Lianne called back, and yes, Gongmen City was a sight to behold. As she had admitted when she first saw it, it was a large and rather grand city that stretched out for miles in any direction, surrounded by high walls at the edge and the ocean penning it in.

As they came close to the fireworks factory, Shen all of a sudden let loose a piercing cry that shot through the air, the sound grating Lianne's hearing. The call was heard by whoever was in the factory, for on the upper floor of the large building doors were opened for them. Shen landed first, rearing back as he slammed his feet into the wood of the balcony and ground to a halt, turning to look back at Lianne. She then landed beside him, her wings fluttering in order to slow her decent so that she landed with much more grace and skill.

"My, my," Shen murmured just loud enough for her to hear. "I am learning so many things about you Lianne… I didn't realise that you were a show off,"

"You wound me sir," Lianne dead-panned. "If I truly wanted to '_show-off_', then I would have looped circles around you on the way here,"

Shen scoffed to himself but said nothing further, instead leading her inside to the interior of the factory. What Lianne immediately noticed was the heat, a stifling pressure upon her that made her want to fan herself slightly. As she looked around, she saw huge mechanisms that turned a huge grinder, a conveyor belt system pulling along a powder from the rocks that had been ground up. She then saw dozens of workers working throughout the huge building, some at tables measuring different powders, others mixing them together and others packaging them.

"Behold," Shen said proudly with a gesture of his wing. "My family dynasty."

"This is where you build fireworks?" Lianne asked.

"Yes," Shen nodded. "My parents invented it, but this is where it is mass produced and then shipped to all over china."

"Most impressive…" Lianne trailed off as she looked about the gigantic building from where she stood on the platform overlooking it all. Shen chuckled at her almost daunted expression, before he began to walk along the platform, leading her away.

"Come. I have something that may interest you," he said, and Lianne had no choice but to follow. He led her to a room that seemed to be almost like a makeshift office, the bamboo railing and floor extended up to make walls, and some stairs in the far corner leading down to the main floor of the factory. A table had been set up in the middle, with all of the regular furniture, such as the desk and papers were pushed to one side. On the table was a mixture of bowls filled with different coloured granules and powders, and also burners held under tubes where liquids were bubbling away, emitting an almost suffocating foul odour. Lianne raised a brow at the setup curiously.

"What is all this?" she asked as she turned to look at Shen, who had a smug smirk on his face.

"I thought I might teach you the basics of making fireworks," he told her, walking up to the table and indicating for her to stand beside him.

"Is it safe?" Lianne asked cautiously, even though she couldn't quite keep down her interest and excitement at the prospect.

"You're with me, of course it is," Shen snorted. "I should think I know a thing or two about fireworks,"

Lianne said nothing more, instead coming to stand by Shen so that they were shoulder to shoulder. She watched his feathers work as he prepared what they would need, setting a small burner in the middle of the table, and placing a metal dish over the top. He saw her watching him with interest, but said nothing himself.

"Firstly, we need to pour equal measures of sulphur and charcoal into the bowl, and then we melt it into a liquid." He explained. "We'll only use very small amounts this time,"

"You do not need to explain as if I'm a child," Lianne said, frowning slightly as she watched him pour a small amount of a certain blue powder into the bowl.

"I said the same thing to my father when he was teaching me," Shen said almost absentmindedly, as if he were thinking out loud. "He told me: 'when working with a dangerous element, always treat your student like a child until they respect that element like an adult'. Could you pass me that jar on the far left?"

Lianne looked over to what he was pointing at, and carefully reached over and lifted the jar to hand to him. She handled it gently as if it could spontaneously explode in her grasp, her feather's brushing Shen's as he took the jar from her, and poured a small pinch into the bowl, stirring the contents as it all began to melt from the heat of the flame beneath the bowl.

"Did you do this with your father often?" Lianne asked, sounding almost offhandedly, though she subtly held great interest in his answer.

"I am his son and heir, it was only fitting that he teach me the secrets of his dynasty, so that one day I might pass on that knowledge to my own heirs." He replied, not looking at her as he watched the mixture in the bowl that was slowly turning into a clear liquid. Lianne tried not to think of the implications in that sentence as she listened to his next words. "Besides, it didn't help that I wouldn't stop pestering him until I knew everything there was to know."

"Why is it I'm not surprised to hear that you were stubborn?" Lianne gave him a half smile at her tease. Shen scoffed lightly.

"It's ready," he said at last, before turning to look at her. "This is where you come in,"

"Me?" Lianne's brows rose as she looked from him to the bowl hesitantly. "B-but I –"

"Don't tell me you're afraid…" Shen raised a brow at her, a challenge clear in his eyes. Lianne clamped her beak shut upon the quick retort, before purposefully coming to stand closer to him, making him shuffle aside so that she could be directly in front of the bowl, a stubborn look on her face.

"What do I do?" She asked, with no hint of hesitancy or fear in her voice whatsoever.

"Take this," he said, holding out for her a jar with a lid filled with holes in the top. Lianne took it from him, instantly able to smell the contents that stung her nose and threatened to make her sneeze. "It is Saltpetre. Now, hold it over the mixture, and gently tap the back of the jar, only allowing a small amount into the bowl."

Lianne did as she was instructed, holding the jar so that the open end faced towards the bowl, the contents in the jar tipping towards the open end, but not spilling out. With her free wing, she lightly and delicately tapped the butt of the jar, a few flakes sprinkling out to fall into the bubbling mixture in the bowl. As she did so, she couldn't help but imagine a young Shen, small enough that he was perhaps half the size of his parents, his eyes huge and looking at everything with great interest and innocent curiosity. His father standing beside, much like Shen was with her now, looking over his shoulder, smiling at his son proudly, as the boy carefully did as he was told, cute fluffy face puckered in concentration as he worked. For some reason, Lianne couldn't fight the small smile that tugged at her lips at the image.

"That's it," she heard Shen say, bringing her mind back to the present. "Not too much… easy does it…" Lianne tried to ignore his condescending tone, even if it was unintentional for he seemed completely absorbed in what she was doing, his words coming out like an afterthought. She continued to tap, more sprinkles coming from the jar and into –

Suddenly, the mixture in the bowl lit up, causing Lianne to gasp and take a step back as her eyes widened. The liquid began to bubble and hiss as it suddenly burned a bright pinkish red, casting a light about the makeshift office and setting the white plumage of the two birds ablaze in bright pinks. Lianne stared in amazement at what she had done, her beak falling open slightly and her eyes wide. Shen however, stepped closer to the light, and Lianne saw how his eyes were fixed upon the contents of the bowl, as if the light was a ray of heaven caught for him to observe. Lianne didn't know whether the look made him seem enchanted or mad.

"This is my legacy," he murmured proudly. "When I rule Gongmen City, this will be my mantle to take up, and I will go down in history as another great inventor and monarch,"

"And you called me a show-off," Lianne said softly, trying to distract from what had just happened. But in all truth she couldn't help but be drawn in to the utter truth in Shen's words, as if he believed every single word he said, it was infectious.

They spent another hour or two in the factory, before deciding to head back to the Tower. Lianne could fly there, but Shen couldn't glide, seeing as the Tower was on a higher vantage point then the factory. So they both decided to risk the public eye as they were escorted back to the Tower by an armed guard.

Lianne was deciding that Shen wasn't as bad as she had been led to believe, even if she was still a little wary of him. They still had their spats and arguments, but nothing to the degree of what had been before. Shen was still proud and arrogant most of the time, and Lianne would close up to him as a result or if he approached a subject that was still sensitive to her – like her mother and father. But despite their rocky beginning, Lianne and Shen eventually fell into a form of companionship, she would even go as far as to say a friendship. Even if she still held great refusal over the thought of marrying him, for that would only mean the separation from her home would last forever. Lianne was still secretly counting down the days until she would be free to return home, looking up at the moon every night before she fell asleep, begging it to take her away…

In this fashion, two months seemed to pass, to where spring seemed to be drawing to a close and summer was just dawning on the horizon.

* * *

It was late one afternoon when Lianne was in the garden, enjoying the sun upon her feathers as she explored and gazed upon the many different flowers that were coming into bloom due to the now permanent radiance of the sun that was always beating down upon Gongmen City. So many colours surrounded the Tower, Lianne was almost saddened by the fact that it was all hidden away by the high walls that protected the Tower. She'd been in the garden for the past hour, waiting for when Shen would come and find her. She would have gone to him, but he had sent a note earlier that morning to say that he was in his lab experimenting, and that he would come for her when he was finished. Lianne had gotten enough notice when he had shown her around the Tower that no one entered his private laboratory without his strict permission, it was enough to deter her. But she had been waiting for a few hours past the usual time he would meet her.

It was then that she heard determined footsteps coming towards her from behind, and fought down the irritated frown that threatened to creep across her face. She instead went for the cool and unfeeling composure that she knew irritated Shen because he couldn't read her when she was like that. But seeing as he had left her hanging like a puppet on a string waiting for him for hours, she thought it completely justified.

"I was wondering when you would show up –" she said coolly as she turned to face Shen… only to be met with the form of the Boss Wolf. He stood there, perhaps six feet away from her, standing to attention, seeming completely unsure of what to do. "Oh!" Lianne exclaimed in surprise, trying to recompose herself as she looked at the wolf apologetically. "Master Zhan, I'm sorry, I thought –"

"That I was Shen?" he asked in voice that was meant to be a soft murmur despite how gruff it was.

"Yes. My apologies," Lianne said, bowing her head to him. Zhan didn't seem to know what to do with this, and instead coughed into his paw like he was clearing his throat.

"Err, well, Lord Shen sent me to tell you that he's still caught up in his lab. He sends his apologies but he can't make it this afternoon," Zhan explained.

"You made that last part up, didn't you?" Lianne said a little tightly, an unexplained anger burning through her. The wolf opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out, so he quickly closed it again. Lianne sighed, trying to rid herself of the sudden frustration she felt.

"If it's any consolation," Zhan said, his eyes shifting a little nervously. "Whenever he gets really interested in a project, he blows off everyone…" when Lianne gave him a look, he quickly shut up.

"I am sorry Master Zhan," Lianne apologised as she sighed again. "I should be taking my frustration out on him and not you,"

"Err… thank you Ma'am…?" Zhan said unsurely, clearly not knowing what to do with her aplogies, before he cleared his throat and pushed on. "I also came to tell you that dinner is ready; Lord and Lady Peacock are waiting for you,"

"Of course," she murmured as she turned to him. "Would you walk with me?"

"Err, sure," the wolf said gruffly, rolling his shoulder as he came to walk beside her as they made their way back towards the Tower. As they walked, Lianne noticed how Zhan seemed to be so stiff in his posture, he seemed like he was waiting for something, his eyes scanning around uneasily.

"There is no need to be agitated, Master Zhan," Lianne smiled at him soothingly, again seeming to knock the wolf off balance as he didn't know what to do in response. "I have complete faith in your wolf guard to keep us safe,"

"Oh, err… thank you," he mumbled, scratching behind his ear almost in a nervous way. "But still, it helps to be safe than sorry."

"Should I feel worried by some threat to the city?" Lianne raised a brow at him.

"Nah, just simple folk complaining of seeing ghosts at the harbour,"

"You don't believe in ghosts?"

"Nope. But they get on my nerves when the stories persist every night," the wolf growled. Lianne kept silent. "Besides, some of those jackal bandits got away, I want security sharp until they're found,"

"Well, I'm sure you have the city's thanks for your vigilance,"

Zhan snorted at that.

"Did I say something wrong?" Lianne asked, genuinely confused by his behaviour.

"Nah," the wolf muttered, but when Lianne seemed to be waiting for an answer, he sighed. "In a city filled with sheep, bunnies and ducks, let's just say they're not quick to offer congratulations to the ferocious wolves,"

"But you keep them safe," Lianne protested.

"No, I keep Shen and his parents safe," Zhan corrected. "The wolves are the royal guard: we keep the peacocks safe first, the city second, the citizens third,"

"You are very loyal to Shen,"

"Wolves as a whole get bad press for a few bad pups," Zhan growled darkly. "The peacock family seemed to forget that we are a proud race too. Shen was the only one to still see that and treat us with decency for it,"

Lianne didn't know what to say, utterly shocked to think that Lord Goa and Lady Jing – two seemingly nice and noble people – could be so… cruel? But what Zhan had told her still made her think of Shen, the proud peacock who looked down on everyone he deemed beneath him. Where was this compassion and insight? It confused her but she could not doubt that what Zhan thought and believed was the truth. To have been degraded, and then for one person to lift them back up, Lianne found a great amount of respect justly deserved in that.

"Well, know that I appreciate all the effort that you and the guard are going to for the city. And that I do not believe you to be any less then what you are,"

"Err… thank you, My Lady,"

"Please, call me Lianne," she offered with a kind smile.

"Only as long as you call me Zhan, none of that master stuff." He chuckled to himself. "I use a hammer, not butterfly kicks,"

"Very well," Lianne chuckled.

They reached the dining hall, and at the door, Zhan turned to Lianne with a lopsided smile.

"They're waiting for you," he said gruffly.

"Thank you, Zhan," Lianne smiled slightly back. "Perhaps we may talk again soon,"

"Yeah, sure," the wolf nodded, and Lianne went into the dining hall.

Immediately, Lianne saw that it was just Lord Goa and Lady Jing sitting at the table, waiting for her, with Shen nowhere to be seen. Lianne felt her irritation spike within her once again, but let it be, not wanting to show such feelings in front of her hosts, and Shen would probably take some form of gratification from it. She sat down with Lord Goa at the head of the table on her right, and Lady Jing sitting opposite her. The two nobles offered her kind smiles as food was brought in for them.

"Good evening, Lady Lianne," Lord Goa said with a hearty smile. Lianne gave a small smile back in politeness.

"Good evening My Lord, Your Ladyship," Lianne greeted them both in turn.

"How has your day been my dear?" Lady Jing asked as she gently picked up her spoon and started eating her soup.

"Rather well," Lianne sad vaguely, avoiding the fact that she hadn't done much whilst she had been waiting for Shen – one of the main reasons why she was annoyed with him, as she felt embarrassed to have to feel disappointed after waiting almost all day to see him. "I explored the grounds; they are beautiful, your gardeners are really artists,"

"Thank you," Lady Jing smiled proudly. "I always supervise them myself,"

"Though, I was a little surprised when Zhan told me that Shen was too busy to see me today. I thought you had decreed, Lord Goa, that we were to spend a set amount of time together," Lianne explained with a slight frown, knowing that she had to word her sentence carefully or risk giving herself away.

"Yes," Goa murmured, a slightly irritated frown forming on his face. "I apologise for that, but my son is nothing if not determined. He is experimenting with a new form of metal today, and once he is challenged by something, he will work at it until it no longer becomes challenging. I sometimes think that if we lived a different life he would have been born a conqueror,"

"That's a little bit of an exaggeration, Goa," Lady Jing scolded softly as she looked at her husband almost disapprovingly. "The boy is merely a determined spirit,"

"That's one way of putting it," Goa murmured as he took a sip of wine.

"We have noticed your improved behaviour, Lianne," Jing said with a smile as she ignored her husband's comment and instead changed the subject. "You are settling into life here in Gongmen City?"

"This is a beautiful City, your Ladyship," Lianne said, starting to feel uncomfortable as she tried to think of what to say without offending them or saying something she shouldn't. As they finished their soup, it was quickly taken away to be replaced with the main course. "I apologise for my behaviour when I first arrived, but I was dreadfully homesick,"

"I can understand that," Jing said softly, her eyes seeming to hold the memory of an old pain. "I remember when I left home, it was a dreadful experience at first… but I found my happiness," She smiled as she looked over to Goa, placing her wing on his as they shared a loving look.

Lianne couldn't stop her beak from twitching into a sad smile. The rest of dinner was then eaten in silence, and when the final dishes were taken away, the servants brought out a tray of tea, and began to pour the hot beverage.

"Is something the matter my dear?" Goa asked as he turned to look at Lianne with a concerned frown.

"Hmm? Oh! No, my Lord," Lianne said hastily after coming out of her thoughts.

"You miss your home…" Lord Goa looked at her sympathetically a soft sigh escaping through his nose. "I… I must apologise my lady; it was not our intention to make you feel grief, but we were left with little else to do,"

"It is not your fault, My Lord," Lianne said, for truly she did not blame either of the royal peacocks, for if it wasn't for them she would already be married to Shen by now and be lost to her home forever.

"You miss your family?" Jing asked softly, her face puckered with concern.

"My mother terribly," Lianne sighed, her heart shivering with grief.

"And what of your father?" Goa asked. Lianne's immediate response was to snap a remark, but she quickly closed her beak, not wanting to say something out of turn. Lord Goa and Lady Jing however, despite knowing that she was unsure of how to answer, waited for one expectantly.

"My father and I have never been as close as I am with my mother," Lianne murmured, staring at the tea in her cup so that Goa and Jing wouldn't see her angry face. "Sending me here was his way of solving the problem so he wouldn't have to deal with me anymore," she muttered bitterly.

"I'm sure he doesn't feel that way," Jing said, instantly trying to sooth the pain that she could feel rising in the swan.

"I'm not sure what my father has told you as to why I was sent here," Lianne said, her voice going lower as she tried to keep control of her voice before it would break from the strain of containing her emotions. "But with our last words to one another… I may have said some things that I now regret… but he made it _very_ clear what he thought of me,"

"He was just angry, I'm sure he didn't mean it!" Jing was quick to say.

"Whatever distance may be between you," Goa said softly, turning in his seat so that he could fully face Lianne. "You are his child. I know that he cannot ignore that. He might not be able to show it, but deep down he loves you,"

"You didn't hear what he said…" Lianne whispered, tears starting to gather in her eyes as she thought of that fateful night.

"Shen and I have had our spats in the past," Goa said. "Sometimes we are too different to understand, and sometimes we are too similar to see. But we always come around, for there is never the question as to the fact that he is my son, and therefore I love him as only a father can,"

"Then Shen is blessed," Lianne turned her head away so that the royal peacocks would not see her tears, but then she felt a light touch beneath her chin, and felt her head being turned as Lord Goa drew her attention back to him with a feather under her beak as he gave her a small smile.

"A parent only does what they think is best for their children, and their family. I've always said that you can't tell the cost of food and fuel without being the head of a household. And you can't appreciate the love of your parents without having children of your own." Lord Goa explained with a knowing smile as he drew back away from her.

Without a word, Lady Jing suddenly pushed her chair out herself and got up, walking around determinedly as she came to the other side of the table. Lianne was almost afraid of the stormy look on her face, and even the servants seemed a little confused and unsure. Lady Jing suddenly pulled Lianne out of her seat, the swan giving a startled cry in surprise, but was immediately silenced when she felt the peafowl lady wrap her wings around her in a tight embrace. Lianne was speechless as she stood there, unsure of what to do as the slightly smaller bird hugged her, just like her mother used to do. Then, without a second thought, Lianne returned the hug, like a crying child clinging to her mother for comfort and reassurance, and Jing gave her everything she needed. When they parted, Jing touched her cheek with a primary feather smiling encouragingly, before stepping away. It was then, that Lianne felt a heavy weight on her shoulder, and looked to see Lord Goa standing beside her, a head taller than her, proud and regal, with his wing gripping her shoulder and giving her a comforting squeeze.

"He'll come around, I promise," he gave her a smile, a smile that only a father could give, a smile that should have been on Lianne's father's face, but one she had never seen.

Lianne felt something warm up inside of her, her heart swelling with pride as she looked at the Lord before her. This was what a father was, this was what she had been missing all her life, this was all she had wanted from her own father but had been denied. A smile, something to say 'I love you' or 'I'm proud of you' or simply even 'I accept you'. She was right when she said that Shen was blessed to have a father. Her relationship to her father was non-existent, but through becoming close with Lord Goa, Lianne thought that she just might glimpse into what it would be like to have a _father_.

* * *

"Where did you get this?" Shen asked the Boss Wolf as he inspected the metal ore upon his desk. He heard the wolf shuffle slightly, almost distractedly, before answering.

"You sent Dui… the wolf who hurt Lianne," he explained a little hesitantly, as if fearing his master to break into a rage at the mere mention of the name. "You sent him to work in the mines for his punishment. He found this amongst all the other ore,"

Shen inspected the small lump of silvery shiny metal on his desk, carved straight from the rock and brought to him when the miners just south of the city had not known what to do with it, seeing as they could not identify what kind of metal it was. And neither could Shen, it was unlike any other metal he had ever seen before.

"Is there any more?" Shen asked.

"No. This was all they found," the wolf told him.

Shen sighed in disappointment. There was barely enough metal in front of him to melt down and make several throwing knives. He would have liked a little more in order to experiment and test the metal's strength and flexibility when being moulded. But, this would have to do. Shen moved the chunk of metal away from the edge, leaving it to sit in the corner of his desk until he could look at it properly later. He sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his beak, trying to dispel the headache that he could feel beginning in the back of his skull, like a storm swirling and getting ready to strike. He had had such a long day: first of all he had had a recent breakthrough with his firework launcher, and had been working on it for most of the day, making sure it worked before he put in all of his energy trying to come up with a pleasing design. Shen would settle for nothing but the best, especially in his own work, he never did anything by half measures. However, that had meant that he had had to skip his usual time with Lianne in order to focus on his work, which had irked him but was quickly dispelled from his mind as he concentrated on his work. But then Zhan had brought him this metal chunk from the mines once he had been called back after dinner, and now Shen knew he was in for a long night as well, if the lurking wolf behind him didn't already point to that conclusion.

"Have you something else to report?" he snapped impatiently.

"Yes Sir!" the wolf said quickly, jumping slightly in surprise. "It-it's to do with the, err… ghost sir, the ghost at the harbour,"

"How many times must I repeat myself?" Shen muttered to himself almost angrily as he turned to glare at Zhan. "There is no ghost!"

"The locals at the docks disagree sir," the wolf dipped his head respectfully, trying not to catch his master's eye so he wouldn't seem out of place. "And my own men have seen a glimpse of someone going to and from the docks most nights."

"Then it is not a ghost!" Shen snapped. "This is little more than a thief or some criminal, so have your men caught him?"

"No sir," the wolf flattened his ears against his head, becoming nervous under his master's gaze. "This _person_ always evades us,"

"Must I do everything myself?!" Shen growled to himself, before snatching up his blades and hiding them in his robes before he stomped out of his lab towards the stairs. "Come then! Let us catch this little _ghost!_"

* * *

An hour or so later, Shen was standing upon the roof of a house as he overlooked the entire harbour, seeing the docks and the wharfs and all the streets and alleys in between. Zhan was beside him, crouched low and scenting the air occasionally as he also listened for any noise. Several other wolves were down prowling the streets silently, hunting as they all awaited the appearance of the mysterious "ghost". The longer Shen had to wait, the more impatient and angry he became, until he was tapping an iron claw against the tiles beneath him, the sound making the wolves nervous of their master's rage that was bubbling just beneath the surface.

But then, everyone heard a howl coming from the south, and Shen, Zhan and all the other wolves turned their heads to see where the signal had come from. Not three streets down, they saw the flare of a fire, a short burst but it was enough to draw the attention of the eye. Moving as a synchronised unit, Shen and the wolves wordlessly raced from their spot upon the roof towards the signal, leaping over the gaps in between buildings in order to hop onto other roofs. They were a well organised team, nothing needed to be spoken, no orders given, no sound made that could give them away, drilled into each of them from experience when they had gone hunting or had been in chases similar to this. Shen often left most of the dirty work to the wolves, but he couldn't deny the thrill of the hunt, the song in his blood as he chased the prey.

The one who had spotted the quarry gave a loud howl, followed by barks and shouts from other wolves who joined him, becoming the flushers who drove the prey towards the ambush zone. Shen, Zhan and the other wolves at their heels tried to get ahead of the prey, moving from rooftop to rooftop. Looking over the side of the house and into the streets below, Shen caught a flash of movement, and saw the prey, a simple shape that draped a cloak and stuck to the shadows, running at an almost impressive speed, but Shen could see nothing to tell him of what species the prey was. But he saw that the criminal was running out of alleyway, and soon would come to the main street.

Shen only had to nod, and Zhan gestured for him and his other wolves to run past Shen, coming down to the main street as they awaited the ambush. Shen stopped upon the roof, watching over the catch, as the prey came racing from the alleyway and into the main street, the wolves behind them and then coming to an abrupt halt when it saw the wolves surrounding it in the street. Now, there was nowhere to go, the alleyways were too far away to duck into, with only the street stretching out at either end.

The wolves formed a circle around the prey, who was looking frantically for a way to escape, but was supposedly keeping their head low so that none of the wolves could see their face. Zhan stepped forward, a dark look in his eye as his lips peeled back to reveal his teeth as he repressed a growl.

"Nowhere to run buddy," Zhan said to the prey, his voice a threatening rumble that the hunting party roused behind, snarling and biting at the air viciously. Shen smirked, his wolves made quite the foreboding image. "Guess nobody told you: You mess with the wolf, you get the fangs. Now surrender! And we'll be _gentle_."

As if sensing the lie in Zhan's words, the figure became very agitated and then –

The figure lunged forward, causing wolves to yelp in surprise and duck as suddenly, with a flash of silver light, wings extended from beneath the cloak and the prey took off into the air, rising just out of reach from the wolves as some recovered their senses and tried to jump for their prey. All watched with slack jaws as they saw the bird fly high above the houses and disappeared over the buildings.

"Quickly, you fools!" Shen screamed down to them. "After it!"

Shen didn't wait for Zhan to get his wolves into order, he merely began to run in the direction that the prey had gone. Being at a higher advantage point then the wolves, Shen could still make out the figure flying through the night sky, cloak billowing about from the wind, but still hiding the criminal's identity from view. Shen followed, always keeping an eye on the quarry as he leapt from building to building, talons scraping against the roof tiles and creating sparks in his wake, his train streaming behind him, making him a flash of white and red, like blood on snow as he raced through the City, noticing how he was slowly circling back towards the harbour.

When he finally reached the harbour, Shen silently leapt from the rooftop, landing with a small grunt on a dock, a little out of breath as he slipped behind a holding building, hiding within its shadow as he looked out onto the water. He saw his quarry standing upon the edge of the dock, looking about as if to check that it had lost its pursuers. They could both hear the wolves in other parts of the city, trying to find them, but the port of Gongmen City was huge, and unless Shen gave out a signal – which would give away his position and scare the prey – the wolves would have very little chance of finding the exact wharf where they were. The criminal waited a few moments to be sure that all was safe, completely unaware of Shen lurking in the shadows, talons digging into the wood of the dock in preparation to pounce, one wing slipping into his sleeve to pull a throwing knife out of its place. He was ready to strike; he only needed the prey to get into the right angle. And finally, the quarry looked up towards the moon that had broken through the clouds and was shining down, creating a perfect reflection of itself upon the water of the harbour; following the line of the moonlight, the prey looked down onto the water, and then, with a tug, discarded its cloak –

And Lianne was revealed.

Shen blinked in stunned surprise, his beak falling open as he stared in complete shock at the swan before him. She wore a white robe, perhaps an undergarment, making her look like a real ghost, but no – Shen shook his head, her white feathers and beauty alone was enough to prove otherwise, the white reflecting in the light of the moon made her shine like a star, as if she were an angel of heaven upon the earth. With a gentle flutter of her wings, she lifted herself into the air, and came to rest upon the water, settling upon the reflection of the moon, so that she was surrounded by a halo of silver light, making her feathers shine dazzlingly. Shen watched, unable to tear his gaze away from the sight before him, as Lianne looked up to the moon, her gaze pleading, as if she were begging it, praying to heaven itself. She sat there upon the water, floating and staying exactly on the moon on the water, staring up into the full moon. And then, when it seemed as if she had been crying out a question endlessly, all she seemed to get was silence, and she dipped her head, neck curving delicately as tears began to stream down her face.

Shen felt something within him break at the sight of her tears, like diamonds that sparkled, standing out against the black of the bridge on her beak. He wanted to stand there and watch her all night long, silently observing, secretly peeking upon the beauty of this moment, knowing full well that this was something he was not meant to see but he was unable to look away, his eyes glued with a selfish desire to keep watching, to see more. But as he saw her silently weep, the grief in her eyes all too obvious, he found that he couldn't stand there silently anymore. He walked forward, talons scrapping against the wood as he removed himself from the shadows, coming closer until he was standing upon the edge of the dock where she had launched herself from, right beside her abandoned cloak. When she did not seem to notice him, he cleared his throat, loudly. She still did not seem to respond.

"Lianne?" he asked softly, slight concern and confusion in his voice as he watched her. She still did not move, only opened her eyes, though she did not turn to look at him.

"Hello Shen," she whispered, her voice hoarse from her tears that she allowed to stream down her face. Shen was almost speechless at how she did nothing to hide her emotion, when before it was all she had ever done, when anything upset her she closed herself off, now to see her so bare felt… distressing, somehow.

"Lianne… what are you doing here?" he asked, frowning at her in confusion.

"Many things…" she said, her voice sounding oddly disconnected. "To be a swan simply floating upon water, as is my nature… to be the ghost which you hunt… to be a child again where magic and mystery are real,"

"Don't try and evade my questions with riddles," he almost snapped at her.

"Must everything be in black and white for you?" she asked, finally turning her tear stained eyes to meet his. "Can there be no grey?"

He only gave her a slight impatient curl of his beak.

"Fine," Lianne sighed, before flapping her wings softly, propelling her up and out of the water, causing Shen to back up so that she could land upon the edge of the dock, picking up her cloak once again. Then, placing it upon her shoulders, without another word she made to walk away.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked her, rushing forward until he stood directly in her path.

"Back to my gilded cage," she replied in a dead tone. She made to move past him again, but he merely held his wings out on either side of him, halting her progress.

"No you're not, you are staying here and telling me what is going on," he demanded.

"Even if I were to answer with the truth, you would not believe me," she murmured.

"Then explain. I promise to listen," he added softly, trying to get her to stand still for even a moment and talk to him. She looked into his eyes, as if searching for something, before shaking her head, obviously defeated, an exhausted look in her eyes.

"I come to the harbour almost every night, in order to sit upon the waters beneath the moon," she said simply.

"Why?" he asked.

"There is no real reason…" she trailed off, averting her eyes from him. "You would not understand…"

"Tell me,"

"It…" she hesitated, before sighing heavily again. "It's because of a story my mother told me when I was young, a story from the western empire,"

"You come here for the sake of a story?" he raised a brow at her.

"I said that you wouldn't understand," she muttered, making a move to leave.

"No," he said, holding out a wing to stop her once again, they stared at each other, red meeting blue, before Shen made his voice as soft as he could, trying to stop her from erecting those walls around herself again. "Tell me so that I might try to understand,"

She seemed conflicted, thinking over his words as she tried to come to a decision. But finally she sighed, and began the tale:

"Long ago, a beautiful princess was stolen from her family and imprisoned by an evil sorcerer to a lake. During the day she was bound to the lake and slave to the sorcerer's will, but by night, she wept such tears of profound sadness, that the moon took pity upon her, and as she lay upon the waters beneath the moon, its heavenly light took her up, and transported her to her family and also to her beloved, but only in spirit. She was never real to them, appearing only in dream, but with the rise of the sun, she would return to her body and be a slave once more. The only way that the curse would be broken, would be with a kiss from the one she loved, and a vow of everlasting love, only then would she be free. Knowing this, the princess came to her beloved in dreams and told him of her plight, and he soon came to her. The sorcerer, jealous, made a fake princess and had the prince make the vow to the wrong woman, causing the princess to begin to die of a broken heart. Realising the deception, and enraged, the prince defeated the sorcerer and weeping over the body of the princess made the vow of everlasting love, his love so pure, that the moon took pity on them, reviving the princess and delivering them both to their home."

Once the story was over, Shen watched her, not entirely sure what to say as he beheld her flawless beauty that seemed hollow and broken with her grief lingering just beneath the surface.

"I come to the harbour to prey to the moon," she admitted, not looking at him, not wanting to see the look in his eyes. "I wish and I pray, begging it, seeing if it could return me and my mother to each other."

A long silence stretched out between them as the story finally ended, and Shen found himself staring at Lianne, her feathers shining like a heavenly being in the light of the moon. She seemed so sad, so lost. The way she spoke of her mother, it was with a love that not even Shen could hope to comprehend, for even though he loved his mother, it did not express how Lianne seemed to cling to hers as if she were the only person to love her…

As the thought trailed off, the last pieces of the puzzle began to settle into place. But Shen needed confirmation, he needed answers.

"Why are you here?" he asked at last.

Lianne stiffened slightly, her eyes shifting to his uneasily, and he had to admit that this was the most vulnerable that he had ever seen her before.

"You know why, to marry –"

"Not that," Shen dismissed, his tone a little harsh, before he softened his voice, trying to be as comforting as he could, hoping that she'd open up to him. "_Why_?"

"You wouldn't understand," Lianne whispered brokenly.

"Try me," Shen aid immediately, never taking his eyes off of her as if that might shatter what little faith she had in him. But finally, Lianne sighed, and began.

"My family come from a long and proud line," she explained, her tone soft, though she kept her eyes averted from Shen's. "My father, Lord Chang is the ruling Lord of the Shan Palace, with only his younger brother for an heir. My father is obsessed with founding a dynasty and making his mark on the world so that he would always be remembered, that was why he came up with new methods of farming and agriculture, making it so that we could have plentiful crops almost all year round. He was rather wealthy and powerful when he met and married my mother. And so, after many years of trying for a baby, the two only managed to have one child: me. But Chang had wanted a son in order to carry on his legacy, but instead, I was born a girl. I was always told that my father did not resent me just because she was born the wrong gender, but he always seemed that way; he did not know how to properly bond with me, and as I grew older, we grew further apart. I had now political ambition, so therefore he couldn't get me to become a powerhouse in the Imperial Court; I was always happy with how things were in keeping the people content, so he felt that I would not be able to advance the legacy he had built for me. In an attempt to make me into a warrior to bring some honour to my name, he and my uncle thought to teach me martial arts and how to use a weapon, I refused, seeing as I was a pacifist. My father didn't seem to know what to do with me after that… he just gave up trying to know me.

"But, as I grew older my womanly beauty became more apparent, and that, combined with a sufficient dowry, my father thought to marry off his only daughter in the hopes of getting a grandson to name as his true heir." Lianne bit her words off with broken-hearted bitterness that made Shen almost uncomfortable as he realised that he didn't know what to do to comfort her. But Lianne carried on: "My mother and I only agreed to this on the condition that I choose my husband, that there would be no arranged marriages. For months my father tried to find suitable matches for me, but I rejected each and every one of them, sometimes scorning powerful lords in the process.

"On one occasion, my father was holding a grand party, and his latest suitor was an older cat lord from the south, an obnoxious oaf more interested in his bed then he was anything else," the swan snapped with clear disdain, and Shen felt in the mood to agree with her, the image he had in his mind of this so called 'lord' setting him in a foul mood as he imagined this buffoon trying to play dirty tricks on Lianne that she was undeserving of as a noble lady but also a goodhearted woman. It made him want to hurt this lord himself… and this sudden anger confused him slightly. But he didn't interrupt as Lianne carried on. "We danced and made idle chit-chat over the banquet dinner, as my father expected of me, and at some point he managed to get me alone in a drawing room. To say he was _too forward_ would be an understatement. I was outraged when he tried to go too far with me, his disgusting behaviour… argh! I just couldn't believe that this was the man my father had allowed to try and court me! But instead of resorting to violence… I humiliated him: I drew him back into the party with verbal barbs until he became infuriated, when he chased me back out he fell into the path of a servant carrying a bowl of punch… it went all over him and made him the laughing stock of the party. Safe to say he didn't see the funny side of things… and neither did my father. He was infuriated with me, and I was equally mad that he would give me away to that… _cretin!_ We argued, a screaming match that went on for hours, he said some horrible things, and so did I…" was all Lianne said as she finished on a broken whisper, clearly not going to go into detail about what had exactly transpired between her and her father. When she looked back to Shen, her eyes were glistening with a lifetime of loneliness and questions that had raced through her. Shen felt the urge to embrace her in that moment. "As punishment for my actions, my father arranged for me to be sent away to live here in Gongmen City… and you know the rest."

Shen felt an unquestionable outrage that a father could treat his child so. Shen didn't even know him or his reason, but knew that he hated this Lord Chang, for whatever his reasons, surely it was not worth risking the love of his own flesh and blood over. He felt a sense to suddenly shelter and protect this broken soul before him, she had been denied the basic love he had always taken for granted, and he wanted nothing more to give her what she so needed, what she deserved.

"Come on," he said finally, his voice soft as he tentatively placed a wing on her shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze. "Let's go home,"

Lianne looked at him, confused at first, before a small acceptance entered her eyes. The Tower of the Sacred Flame may not have been her home, but it was a home always ready to welcome her. She gave Shen a small nod, and he quietly led her back towards the tower.

* * *

**Author's Note: So nice long Chapter for you guys, I hope you enjoyed it :)**

**Please review, tell me what you thought of: Lianne and Shen spending some actual good time together? Lianne and Zhan? Shen's Parents? The chase? Lianne's story? I hope people spotted my adaptation of the "swan lake" story into this, seeing as that is what Lianne is based off of, I thought I would give a little nod of respect to the source material.**

**I crave all kinds of reviews, good and constructive. It helps to motivate me and I love to know what you all think. Hopefully I'll see you all again very soon in the next chapter! **


	5. The Sting of Words

Five – The Sting of Words

* * *

"What on earth do you think you are doing?" Shen asked as he scowled at Lianne as she made her way across the courtyard.

"I've already told you Shen, and I don't like repeating myself," she called back to him as she walked away from him towards the gates, the wolves on guard looking from her to Shen in confusion and uncertainty. "I'm going out into the city,"

"Why?" he asked her in exasperation. "There is nothing for you out there,"

"Actually, there is a lot," Lianne said as she stopped and turned her head so that she could see him out of the corner of her eye. "It is market day today, or so I have been told. And was it not you who took me out of the tower in order to go to the fireworks factory for a 'change of scenery'?"

"So you decide to take time out of our allotted time together to go _shopping_?!" he demanded, his anger beginning to bubble as his pupils shrunk to pinpricks.

"No, I am opting for a change so that we can both enjoy the day out in the City," Lianne said with a slight smirk. "If _you_ want to stay here and not spend that "allotted time" with me, then that's perfectly fine,"

"I am not going out there to be gawked at by the common riff-raff!" he spat furiously, outraged at her play at trying to manipulate him with guilt.

"Make a spectacle of a situation and you become the spectacle yourself," Lianne said in irritation as she turned to face him, a slight disapproving frown on her face as she crossed her wings in front of her chest, tapping her webbed foot on the ground impatiently. "Ignore them. Let _Shen_ spend the day with me, not the peacock _princeling_ out amongst the crowd."

"I am not going!"

"Fine! Suit yourself! But I am!" she muttered, that mask of unfeeling and cold aloofness falling into place as she turned on her heal and began to walk away again.

"No you're not!" he screeched, taking a dangerous step after her.

"Watch me…" she said simply as she carried on as if he were nothing.

Shen stood there, beak hanging open in a silent scream, his eyes so small that he looked deranged as he stood shaking from the force of his anger. He wanted to yell, to scream and break everything in the courtyard in his frustration. _Damn her!_ Damn her and her manipulative ways, getting into his head so that he felt almost compelled to her side, and when his own common sense told him not to, he felt a twinge of guilt for it!

"In all my years…" Shen heard a voice, and turned to see the Soothsayer standing not three feet from him, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she pulled and stroked her beard thoughtfully. "I have never seen someone who could be as stubborn as you, Shen…"

"Sir…" Zhan's gruff voice spoke out hesitantly as he stepped forward, mindful of his master's mood. "Sir, if you wish to go, my wolves can keep you and Lianne safe at all times, you won't even –"

"Shut up!" Shen barked furiously, rounding on the wolf to fix him with a deadly glare. But then, he turned to glare at Lianne's back as she came close the gates that opened up to the rest of the city. "Fine!" He shouted after her so that she could hear him; she turned to look at him, brows rising with slight curiosity. Shen stood there, clearly still irritated and trying to keep his pride as he conformed to the wants of another. "But we're taking the Sedan!"

Lianne said nothing, but smiled in amusement. Shen ignored her as he ordered his wolves to get ready.

* * *

Not half an hour later, a large sedan was prepared for them, and they were being taken out into the heart of the city. Four wolves carried the sedan, with another dozen surrounding it in order to act as a barrier between Shen and the public, with four or five wolves branching out onto rooftops and venturing ahead down the street in order to make sure there was no possible threat, all of them following Zhan's orders as he stayed by Shen's side overseeing it all. The City came alive around them as they ventured further and further into the thick of it, the citizens all cramming into the streets in order to get to market. Colours and scents were everywhere in a chaotic jumble of sound and movement. Sheep were shouting from their stalls, bunny children running between the legs of adults, geese waddling about with a fluff of feathers, pigs frying and cooking food for the public to buy. And as the sedan passed them all, everyone stopped what they were doing to stare, opened mouthed and wide eyed at the noble birds within. Shen tried to ignore their stares, tried to block out the whispers he heard behind his back, but all he got for his efforts was a vicious and angry loathing forming like a fire in his stomach, and a sneer on his face.

He was greatly beginning to regret his decision to come on this venture. But then, he felt a light touch on his wing, and glanced over to see Lianne brush his feathers with her own in a soothing manner, a soft and encouraging smile tugging at the edges of her beak as she looked at him. Shen found all of his thoughts come crashing to a halt as he stared into her eyes, full of empathy and understanding, not pity or exasperation. She knew what this was doing to him, and was thanking him for putting up with it for her. He found himself unable to do anything as he contemplated what that meant to him, blinking stupidly as he felt almost smug at having her gentle touch all to himself, and also felt his anger dissipate, thinking to put up with it if he must… if only to make her look at him like that again.

As they came through the market however, Lianne suddenly hopped out of the sedan – much to the surprise and confusion of the wolf guards – in order to go to the stalls selling all of the different wares. Shen had tried to call her back, stating that if she needed anything then she could order it at the Tower; but Lianne had refused, saying that all the fun was in the browsing, not the buying. And indeed, Shen noticed how she did seem to be enjoying herself, for as she looked from cart to cart looking over silks and jewellery and pots and food, her eyes sparkled with curiosity, and she became a little more animated when talking to the peasants. Shen found himself completely confused by her behaviour, but decided to leave it be for now, instead allowing himself to enjoy the show. There were even times when Lianne would call back to him to ask if he wanted or was interested in anything on offer, but he always refused, thinking that it could hurry her up if she didn't have to think of him as well.

Lianne only bought a few items after shopping for just over two hours. She bought herself some art supplies, a small broach (which Shen silently observed could fit into an envelope), and a large box of cakes that she held but did not eat herself. Shen had almost been hoping that she would share, after noticing how hungry he was becoming, but the swan seemed content to just hold the box as if it held material objects and not food, as if the cakes were not there at all. And then, strangely enough, she directed the wolves through the market towards the edge of the city, much to Shen and Zhan's complete confusion. However, they had been unable to dissuade her from her path, and were forced to follow after her for her own protection as she stubbornly proclaimed that she would walk by herself if they wanted to go home. Shen was beginning to be rather angered again.

The travelled through the city as the afternoon came upon them, and as they headed more into the north-eastern reaches of the city, the grand and beautiful houses and finely paved roads faded as cracked brickwork, broken roofs, trash filled alleys and narrow paths soon grew. Shen repressed a shiver of repulsion: they had entered the slums. He was no idiot to believe that Gongmen was without its poorer areas, for where there was the rich there was bound to be the poor also. He had just never deemed it worthy of his time in order to come here. He could do nothing to help them, nor would he, for even if he gave away all of his inheritance to them, the poor would always be hungry, always be begging, always be there. As they came deeper into the slums, Shen noticed eyes peering from the shadows as the poorer folk stared and quaked at the passing of the royal sedan. They were all thin, scraggily, their clothes in the poorest condition, their skin, fur and feathers were matted and dirtied, a putrid stench clinging to them that forced Shen take out a handkerchief and hold it to his beak to try and repel it. But he noticed how they were all watching the wolves and Lianne, who was walking at the front of the procession. Starting to feel uneasy, Shen leaned out of the sedan as he fixed his eyes on the swan.

"Lianne!" he hissed softly, trying to get her attention without causing any trouble. She stopped to look at him over her shoulder. "I think it best if you get back in the sedan,"

"No, I will walk. We're nearly there anyway," she said, turning back around and walking on.

"Lianne!" he scowled.

She ignored him.

"Spare me the stubbornness of females and their stupid, ignorant…" he grumbled to himself as he suddenly leapt out of the sedan and marched after the swan, knowing that his gut wouldn't settle until he had the swan back at his side where he knew she would be safe.

He reached her as they entered a square, Lianne hopping up onto the crumbling wall surrounding a long since dead magnolia tree. She sat herself down, looking clean and pure against the grubby and stinking landscape. Shen stormed to her side, scowling as he came to stand beside her, though she made a point of ignoring him.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he whispered in a furious hiss. "What is the point of this?!"

She ignored him, she didn't even look at him.

"Lianne!"

"I will not respond to you when you speak in such a manner Shen," she said coolly, still without turning to him. Shen thought he might burst with the force of his outrage; how dare she speak to him as if he were a child! But, he snapped his beak shut, trying not to internally implode as he stood there shaking, before sighing out a long breath, and trying to get his voice under control so that it wouldn't betray his inner anger.

"Could you please enlighten me as to the reason why you have dragged us here?" he said quietly.

"Is it not obvious?" she asked, finally turning to look at him.

"Not to me, but that is beside the point. We are in a dangerous environment, and I would _appreciate _it if you got back into the sedan and we _leave_!" he almost hissed.

"Do we not have over a dozen wolves with us?" she raised a brow at him. "And you with all of your knives and weapons that I have no doubt you have somewhere hidden close at hand. With all that, I feel perfectly safe,"

"My mother could call that tempting fate," he murmured.

"I'm not tempting fate if I believe it wholeheartedly to be the truth," she gave him a soft smile.

Shen went to retort back, but found he was unable to. Once again, he felt oddly smug at the fact that Lianne had such faith in him, and he wanted to tell her how he thought her stupid and naïve… but he couldn't. He didn't want to have to say that she was wrong, that he couldn't keep her safe, because he knew he would. But then, Shen felt a cold drift down his spine as he realised that they were not alone. Lianne was looking past him, and he turned to see a small rabbit child standing not twenty feet away from them, staring at them with wide eyes, feet shuffling, paws trembling as it pinned its ears pack against its head in fright. It was so thin, almost uncomfortably so to look at, the clothes hanging off of its shoulders. Lianne smiled at the child, leaning forward until she held out a wing, and in it, was one of the cakes from her box.

"Here you are," she said softly.

The rabbit looked at the cake, mouth visibly watering as it tried to swallow the dry lump in its throat, the shaking growing worse as it tried to inch forward. But then its eyes fixed on Shen, widening fearfully as it gazed at his sharp beak, fierce metal talons and long red, black and white train. Shen sneered at the child, before turning his head away from it, and taking it as permission, the child raced forward and snatched the cake from Lianne's wing and then racing back to a safe distance as it hurriedly ate the cake in two huge mouthfuls, even stooping to catch the crumbs that fell from its mouth.

As if this were some signal, more faces appeared from the shadows, figures shuffling forward, mumbling, stomachs growling with the possibility of food. There were dozens of them, and as they came closer, the wolves became much more agitated, growling softly.

"Sir?" Zhan asked in a quiet voice. Shen said nothing, but one look at Lianne who was holding out the cupcakes, he sighed before nodding to the Boss Wolf. The wolf guard then allowed others to pass, but were still on alert. Shen was not worried, he knew his wolves could handle an army of beggars.

"Was this the whole purpose of this venture?" Shen asked as Lianne handed out cupcakes from her box to those who were brave enough to come close. It seemed that they all feared Shen as if he were some vengeful spirit that cowed them all into line and would not hesitate to punish them should they cause any trouble. Shen thought them right in that regard.

"Not entirely, but a part of it, yes." Lianne said as she gave a cake to a mother who was holding a small babe, who was so hungry that it had lost its voice with which to cry for food. Lianne gave the mother two cakes, as she pityingly caressed the babe's head with a gentle feather, sighing sadly. "I meant what I said when I wanted a change of scenery, but this cause could not be denied."

"But why? I can see how much this is upsetting you," Shen asked with an irritated sigh as people began to crowd around them, murmuring their thanks as they bowed to Lianne as if she were some queen… _well_, Shen thought, _perhaps she would be, depending_…

"It doesn't matter if it is upsetting me. Even in places like Gongmen City, there will always be the poorer people,"

"My parents would like to say that we do not have as great a poorer population,"

"No, perhaps you don't. But just because Gongmen is a rich city, that doesn't mean there are no poor. It just means that the gap between richer and poorer widens daily,"

"And what brought on this sudden urge to come and see it? You do not honestly think that what you are doing no will make a difference," Shen asked her almost impatiently.

"Ah-Ma… the Soothsayer, she gave me the idea," she said almost cautiously.

"Of course she did," he muttered.

"And I know it won't make much difference," Lianne continued on. "But in a kind of selfish way… it makes me feel good to know that I did something good,"

They stayed for perhaps another half an hour, when the cakes were all gone, before Shen insisted that they leave and should Lianne refuse he half jested that he would have Zhan carry her over his shoulder back to the tower. She had relented to his wishes, smirking good naturedly at his dark humour. Shen didn't think it prudent to tell her that he was only _partly_ joking.

Lianne sat back in the sedan with Shen as they were carried back through the streets towards the tower, it was late in the afternoon, and a quick look to the sky told Shen that sunset would be within the next hour or so. The pair of white birds sat in companionable silence on the way back, Shen only really speaking when he told Zhan to take them back to the tower along the streets that would have the least amount of people. He had had a long and tiring enough day without adding the gawks of the rabble to it. Shen and Lianne sat side by side, wings brushing as the sedan swayed with the march of the wolves carrying them, the pair seemed to be in a kind of quiet that only comes when one is exhausted and simply happy to stay in silence, enjoying the other's company as they shared in their fatigue. Chancing a glance at Lianne, Shen noticed how she had a contented expression upon her face, her beak turned up ever so slightly, her eyes half lidded and a warm glow to her cheeks; and as if sensing his eyes upon her, she turned to look at him, the slight upturn of her beak growing into a full and warm smile for him. Shen felt his breath catch as he realised that he had never seen her smile like this before, and he was sadder for that, for he had never seen her more beautiful then when she smiled. It was as if she couldn't think to be anywhere else but here, with him… but then he turned away from her as he reminded himself that she longed to be anywhere but here, the letter he had read proved as much.

But Shen's thoughts were interrupted when the sedan came to a sudden halt.

Frowning in confusion, Shen stiffly got to his feet and leaned his head and neck out of the sedan in order to look at the front of the procession of wolves. Zhan was standing at the front, hackles raised, hand held to signal for the party to stop, taking in deep breaths as he scented the air, ears twitching as he strained to hear a sound.

"What is going on here?" Shen called loudly, breaking the intense silence that had descended upon the group. Zhan didn't answer at first, and Shen was about to snap at him, when he saw the Boss wolf reach for his large hammer at his belt slowly, a soft growl coming from his chest as he kept his eyes fixed upon some point above them.

"The hawk's in sight… sir," he said quietly.

Shen instantly knew the code: they were being watched. Zhan looking to the sky only made the enemy think him a fool into getting upset as they believed him to actually be looking at a flying hawk. The changes in the company were subtle, such as their stance or that they placed their paws very close to their weapons; they all knew the protocol, Shen and Zhan had trained it into them for the past few years when they began to fear such ambushes and assassination attempts on Shen's life. Shen could almost bet that this was probably some governor or politician that he had either scorned or one that thought they had something to be gained by his death.

He slowly climbed out of the sedan, walking purposefully into the centre of the ring of wolves, looking as if he was lazily walking towards Zhan as if to scold him, his metal talons scraping against the brick road with anticipation. What he hadn't counted on however, was Lianne climbing out after him, sensing that something was wrong, and hurrying after him until she was at his side with a wing on his shoulder to stop and turn him to face her.

"What's going on?" she asked quietly, her eyes wide with fear as she looked about nervously.

"Hush," Shen whispered to her, hoping that –

A sudden breeze blew down from the south towards them, carrying with it a peculiar scent, and with it, all the wolves froze on the spot, before they all abandoned their ruse in order to draw their weapons, growling and snarling at the shadows around them.

"Jackals!" Zhan hissed for the benefit of his master and lady.

As realisation dawned on Shen, he saw a movement in the shadows. Instantly, he whipped out a throwing knife so fast that he was literally a blur of motion, the knife leaving his feathers and flying through the air, before landing in its mark with a loud "THUNK", and then a body of a jackal fell from an adjoining alleyway.

Instant chaos erupted around them as shapes emerged from the shadows and flew at the wolves, tackling them to the ground in a flurry of paws, claws, teeth and swords. Some were jackals, although looking slightly similar to the wolves, they were much smaller, the darker fur on their backs bristling as their hackles rose, snarls painted across their pointed faces, large ears pinned back against their heads. But there were also two leopards, both rather acrobatic, obviously some experts in Kung-Fu as they flipped through the air and landed in front of the Boss Wolf on one foot before settling into a fighting stance. Zhan's only response was to grin at them wickedly, before charging at them.

Another shape emerged from the shadows, and in a matter of seconds was racing between the fighters and coming straight towards Shen and Lianne. Shen glared at the oncoming jackal, noticing a mongoose and a pheasant coming straight on its heels, and with a flick of his wrist withdrew a short-sword from the legs of his robes. Brandishing it with a twirl of his primary feathers as he stood in front of Lianne who looked over his shoulder, completely frightened out of her mind.

"Stay behind me," he said softly, he almost thought she didn't hear before the trio of enemies were upon him.

Spinning in place, Shen opened his train in a dazzling and confusing display of black and red eye-spots. Still turning, he used his tail to physically sweep the jackal aside, to where it lost its footing and began to slide and tumble out of control. Using his own momentum, Shen pushed himself into the air, kicking out with his talons curled into fists so that they were a heavy lump of metal casing that hit the mongoose square in the jaw, dazing him. With a twist of his weight, Shen spun in the air back towards the pheasant, lashing out with his sword. The pheasant managed to dodge the first blow, retrieving two daggers and wielding them with excellent precision… if only he could keep up with all of Shen's moves. Shen drove back the other bird, who was completely on the defensive as he edged further and further back to try and avoid Shen's sword, though he was nicked a couple of times.

Suddenly, Shen heard a scream and broke off his fight to momentarily turn back to see Lianne in the exact same place as he had been when he was beside her, but now the jackal that Shen had misguided was baring down on her, and she could not escape from all of the fighting going on around her. Acting quickly, Shen kicked out at the pheasant, sending him back several yards, before spinning around as he quickly withdrew a rope-dart from his sleeve and sent it flying at the jackal like a whip. It snared around the jackal's forearm, but failed to move him. Seizing the chance, the jackal took hold of the rope and pulled on it. Instantly turning this in his favour, Shen pushed against the floor, sending him shooting through the air straight at the jackal, who's eyes widened in fear as he realised his folly. Rearing back at the last moment, Shen sliced his Iron Claws across the Jackal's chest and throat, killing him as the deadly talons pinned the creature to the ground.

Fighting, to Shen, was as easy as breathing. When Shen engaged someone in close combat, not one move he made was wasted. He made full and efficient use of every technique, weapon, and tactic he had at his disposal. One could only pity the ones foolish enough to fight him without proper –

"_SHEN_!" a voice screamed so loud it almost split Shen's mind as he turned, suddenly panicking for reasons he didn't understand as he looked about for the owner of that voice. Lianne was not where he had left her, and as his beady ruby eyes searched the battle frantically for her, he finally saw her in the arms of the pheasant and mongoose, who were both dragging her away into the shadows of the alley.

With a shriek of primitive fury, Shen raced across the street after them, his anger boiling away inside of him as he charged. But, before he only made it halfway, a blur of grey came straight in front of him, blocking his path. The Boss Wolf quickly grabbed the shoulder of one of the leopards he was fighting, and physically moved it in order to block the attack of the other. However, he was sent hurtling off of his feet as one of the leopards kicked him in the muzzle, sending him flying and landing straight in Shen's path.

And then, as quickly as they had all come, the jackal force – or what was left of them – the leopards and all others vanished to the darkness from whence they came. But as the leopard's dashed and flipped and spun their way free, Zhan quickly picked himself up, snatched up his huge hammer, and with a yell, he threw it. It landed straight in the centre of one of the leopard's back's, knocking the wind clean out of it, and sending it hurtling to the ground.

"Chew on that Kitty-Cat!" Zhan spat as he huffed and puffed for breath.

"Idiots!" Shen screeched as he raced around Zhan and went to the alley that he had seen Lianne disappear through, but as he looked inside, he saw it was a dead-end, no one was there. Utter fury and desperation battled inside of him with such ferocity that he was physically shaking. He rounded on his wolves that were acting as if they had not noticed the disappearance of the Lady Lianne, congratulating each other on a good fight. "Find them!" he screamed furiously, the wolves all jumping at the sheer volume and uncontrollable rage in his voice. "FIND THEM, NOW! Now-now-now-now!"

As the wolves scrambled to do his bidding, the peacock faintly heard a groan and turned to see the leopard struggling to rise as it recovered from temporary unconsciousness. Blind, bloodthirsty rage filling him, Shen marched over to the struggling creature, turning it onto its back with his talons and whipped out a throwing knife into his grasp before he held it up to the leopard's throat, pressing hard so that he was only a twitch away from breaking the skin. Instantly, the leopard froze, eyes going wide as it looked from him to the knife.

"Whoa! Whoa!" said the leopard in a distinctly feminine voice. "Easy-easy!" she hissed as she pinned her ears back against her head, whiskers bristling with fear.

"You have exactly ten seconds to tell me where they have taken the swan and how many are there!" Shen spat out viciously, his feathers aching to push just that _little bit harder! _

"Somewhere north, we weren't given specifics, Haun said he would take us there once we had the target!" her words tumbled out in a flood.

"That's not good enough…" Shen sneered, pressing just a tad –

"WAIT! Okay, okay!" The leopardess screeched in panic, and when Shen paused slightly for her to speak, she quickly stammered on as fast as her lips could move. "Follow the river north until you come up to a cave that's right along the riverbank, during monsoon season it's underwater, but now it's revealed. That's where they'll take her. Only the ring leaders will be there, the men are kept away from it, and not to mention I think most of them might have ran after this..." she indicated to the remains of the battlefield. "Sometimes the money isn't worth your life…"

"Who is Haun?" Shen asked quickly, deciding to ignore what she meant by the money not being worth it…

"The mongoose," she replied.

Without a second thought, Shen kicked her in the side of her head with his Iron Claws curled into a fist that knocked the leopardess back to the ground, causing her to slip in and out of unconsciousness from the force of it. But Shen did not even spare her a second glance as he quickly turned away from her and began walking north-east.

"Zhan!" he shouted.

"Sir!" the wolf was immediately by his side and ready.

"I want you and three of your best wolves to come with me to rescue Lianne; we leave _immediately_."

"Yes sir," Zhan nodded, before looking over his shoulder momentarily to call to the other wolves. "Yao! Tsun! Den! With me!" two grey male wolves and a black she-wolf broke from the ranks of the others and quickly followed behind Shen and Zhan.

"And have the others take care of _that_," Shen spat distastefully, gesturing to the cowering leopardess on the floor.

Shen stormed through the city, knowing his fastest way out was to go to the gate where the river first flowed through Gongmen City. That was their way out, and what would lead them to their quarry. As he almost raced through the city, Shen was literally nothing more than a shadow of vengeance.

* * *

It was completely dark out when Shen and his small wolf hunting pack found the cave that the leopardess had spoken of. It had taken them just under two hours, almost losing the trail at one point due to how close they came to the river, the scent being overpowered by the water, that the wolves had had to waste half an hour before they could pick it back up again. The cave was literally a rocky whole seeming to be dug out of the side of the high bank, roots and clumps of dirt hanging in the entranceway. They could hear voices from inside, and Shen guessed that the inside was perhaps much more spacious then what the entrance revealed.

With a small gesture of his short-sword, Shen motioned for one of the wolves to go ahead. The black furred She-wolf went in, silent and stealthy, hardly even disturbing the earth in her wake. She disappeared for a few short moments into the cave, and Shen and the other wolves waited silently, though Shen's eyes narrowed as his impatience grew. He knew that every second wasted was a second longer Lianne was kept in danger, possibly hurt or… he didn't want to even finish that thought. The idea seemed to fill him with a desperate fear as well as blood-curdling fury. But then, the she-wolf poked her head back out of the cave and signalled them. Silently, Shen and the others made their way into the cave, Shen allowing the wolves to go first and scout ahead of him. He tried to keep the noise of his talon-gauntlets to a minimum, and was satisfied that the floor of the cave was loose dirt rather than stone.

The entrance was an opening to a low passage that the wolves had to stoop to fit through, even Shen had to bend his neck so that the crest on his head didn't touch the ceiling. They all quickly and silently moved down the passage, and eventually it opened up into a much larger stone built anti-chamber. Another opening in the wall led to a much larger chamber, where Shen could see the flickering light of a fire, and feel fresh air coming from within. He and the wolves quickly placed themselves on either side of the entrance, peeking in only slightly; though they were thankful for the fire causing flickering shadows that hid them further.

In the chamber before them, the mongoose, the pheasant and the other leopard were standing some ways off, talking quietly amongst themselves, whilst two jackals were lounging by a fire, the smoke curling and making the chamber stink before escaping through a small opening in the ceiling. It looked as if they had been here for a few days, as bedrolls, crates, weapons and other such things were about the floor, and everyone seemed comfortable, so much so that they hadn't even posted a guard by the entrance. Shen's eyes narrowed as he looked about the chamber, eyes darting to and fro as he searched with his gaze, until finally, he saw her. Sitting in the corner against the wall of the cave, her wings bound against her body by thick rope, was Lianne; her robes were torn, ruffled and dirtied, her feathers were smeared with soot and dirt, ruffled also from poor handling. She sat silent, her face seemingly like stone and impassive, though only Shen could see the storm that thundered in her ocean blue eyes… and that was when Shen noticed a small cut above her right eye. On a second look, Shen noticed how she seemed to have little cuts such as a couple on her legs and wings, and she was hunched slightly, her beak clenched tightly as if from pain.

Shen silently seethed, knowing that he had to keep calm for the sake of the mission, but also promising himself that he would exact on these vermin every pain they had forced on her!

Zhan spared Shen a look as they focused on each other for a second. No words had to be said for the communication in their eyes was enough. The situation was bad on their side, it didn't matter about numbers, but they not only had a hostage situation, but they couldn't even form a proper ambush, as if they tried to sneak in then they would be seen by someone inside. Zhan motioned with his head to the interior of the room, but perked his ears up in a silent question. Should they launch the attack now? Shen shook his head, his eyes narrowing dangerously. No. Despite Shen's thirst for vengeance, he wanted a moment to see if they could learn anything, and to also see if a better opportunity could present itself.

They did not have to wait for long.

"Haun!" one of the jackals suddenly called out to the group at the back. With an irritated sigh, the mongoose stepped away from his comrades to address the canine.

"What is it Qun?" the mongoose – Haun – asked in a slightly nasally voice.

"I don't know what you expected, but I did _not_ expect to lose good men today," the Jackal said in a low and threatening voice. "The rest of them are angry and nursing their wounds. I want the pay that was promised to us,"

"You will get your share of the cut when I get it. Not before," Haun snapped.

"That's not good enough!" the Jackal – Qun – barked, and his partner began to become restless as he growled with his leader. "When you hired me, I did not want to lose anymore men then I already had! Just give us our pay, I want nothing more to do with this."

"I thought you would rejoice at getting your own back against the wolves of Gongmen,"

"Yes, it was fun to kick the downed dogs," Qun snapped, and Zhan struggled to repress a savage growl. "But they've taken enough brothers from me. First the villages, now here. I don't want it anymore."

_Well_, Shen thought; that at least cleared up the fact that these were the same jackals that had been raiding villages over the past few weeks.

"The fact of the matter is," Haun drawled lazily. "I do not have the money you want, nor will you get it until I am paid by our future _client_."

"What?" the jackals looked at him, outraged. "You sly wretch! You promised us hundreds!"

"I would recommend you keep your temper, Master Qun," Haun growled out in a dangerous voice. "Push me too far and you will never see a penny, nor the light of day, ever again."

The jackals seemed to calm themselves at the Mongoose's words, shrinking away from him as if his anger were only precursor of something far more foul to come.

"When will we get our money?" Qun asked in a more respectfully quiet tone.

"I'll be sending a letter tonight to our client, he will be sending the money as we move to a safer location. He will deliver, we will collect, we each take our share and part ways," Haun explained with a smirk.

"And what of my sister?" asked the leopard in a distinctly male voice as he bared his fangs slightly as he stepped up to the mongoose, dwarfing him, though still keeping a respectful distance. "She was taken by the Gongmen wolves. I would see her released or avenged, Haun!"

"Fear not," Haun murmured. "She will be freed when we demand it of the peacock freak,"

"How can you guarantee that?"

"Because it will happen if they want our dear Lady here to still be living…" he grinned gleefully as he turned to look at Lianne over his shoulder. "Fear not my spotted feline friend," Haun reassured the leopard. "I'll send the demand for your sister tonight also. With any luck, as soon as the Swan Lord gives us the money, we'll also have your sister back with us to share in the spoils."

And then it all made sense. Shen realised the game; he had thought the ambush had been for him, and that Lianne's kidnap had either been an unexpected complication or casualty, or that they would use her as a bargaining chip against him and his parents. It wasn't a secret that Lianne was in Gongmen City being courted by Shen, but now Shen realised that that wasn't the case. She was to be ransomed to her wealthy father, for an insanely large price, Shen would think, for it was well known of Lord Chang's vast wealth, and Lianne had been almost an easy target in Gongmen City. He ground his beak, his grip on his lance tightening threateningly.

"Why is it I had to be kidnapped by ignorant fools?" came a melodious but cold and hard voice. Everyone's gaze turned to Lianne in confusion, and she sighed as she looked up at the ceiling of the cave with exasperation.

"I beg your pardon?" Haun asked with a dumbfounded expression.

"Are you deaf?" she asked cynically as she narrowed her scornful eyes on him. "I called you a fool. Not only did you kidnap me in broad daylight, but you decide to ransom me."

"I would say that that makes me rather clever that I pulled it off despite all the odds," Haun said as he sauntered closer to her, a smug smirk plastered on his face.

"It makes you stupid if you think you will get away with it," she said, turning her beak up at him in that superior manner, her voice speaking as if she were a teacher scolding the student, and Shen knew from experience that it already had to be getting on the mongoose's nerves.

"Are you hoping for rescue? That your valiant-freak-peacock will ride in to rescue you?" Haun chuckled condescendingly as he came to crouch in front of Lianne.

"If you wish to speak in child verse, then I will oblige," Lianne then lowered her voice and spoke as if to a toddler. "The bad, bad man will not get the money he wants, because he picked the wrong birdie,"

"What?" Haun demanded in dangerous whisper as he gaped at her in outrage and confusion. "You are the Lady Lianne are you not?!"

"I am, but that doesn't make me anymore valuable then you are," she sneered.

"You are the daughter of Lord Chang: that makes you _very_ valuable!"

"Could you please actually use your brain and _think_ for a moment?" she snapped at him. "If I were of any value to my father, then I would be with him instead of in exile in Gongmen City! The best you would do is to have his soldiers bare down on you and take me back. He would be insulted by the ransom, nothing more."

"If you plan to either have me rethink my plan, I won't. And if you want me to be frightened of your father; I have faced more than an aging overgrown goose too frightened to leave his halls,"

"Then you don't know my father," she growled at him.

"You can try to undermine me, sweet lady," the mongoose leaned into her face, causing Lianne to turn her head and shrink away from him in revulsion, and Shen saw a spark of fear in her eyes though she fought to keep that immovable stony expression on her face. "But it won't work,"

"I don't have to," she said tightly. "You undermine yourself by going ahead with this utterly stupid and ridiculous –"

"Careful," Haun said as he reached out with his clawed hand and grasped the back of Lianne's head. She tried to squirm out of his grip, her façade slipping away to reveal the terror underneath as her breathing became heavy. Haun grinned wickedly. "Don't make me scratch that pretty face again,"

"Shen will kill you," she hissed in defiance.

"The peacock freak is nothing compared to me," he snapped, drawing himself away.

"Is that the best insult you can do?" she said, her fear making her desperate, and Shen had no idea why she was defending him in this when she was in such obvious danger by her own words. "Of course, you are the much better man: living in a hovel, dirtied and stinking, praying upon the weak and too stupid to know that your plan is incredibly flawed. Whilst Shen is in a palace, master swordsman, and will kill you for the insult of what you did today. I'm sure your mother is very proud of how far you've come in life,"

"Shut your mouth!"

"Oh, did I hit a nerve?" she asked vindictively. "What… I'm guessing you were raised on a farm, poor little family, but good enough to eat every night. Did you dream of wealth and fortune? Are we still not grown up enough to let go of those dreams? Did mummy call you nasty things when you didn't become rich and famous like you promised?"

"Shut up!" Haun raged, and the others shrunk from him, even Lianne seemed affected by his temper, though she only became more hysterical as her fear and desperation rose within her.

"Let me go!" she screeched in part defiance and part terror. "Let me go or I will see to it that you never see a penny; you worthless, filthy, horrid _vermin_!"

**_WHACK_**_!_

Shen froze in place as he stared in horror, his mind literally crashing to a halt as he struggled to comprehend what had just happened, and couldn't make sense of his world until it was over. At Lianne's words, Haun's temper had finally snapped and he lashed out. His paw had come swinging and struck her with the back of his hand, snapping her head to one side, the force so great that she was sent sprawling to the ground in a complete daze. She moaned struggling to comprehend what had just happened, but as she quickly came too, she looked up at the mongoose looming above her, utter terror and pain etched into her features.

A darkness descended over Shen, all the careful planning, the training, the precision needed for this mission, it all left him in an instant. Throughout all his training with Kung-Fu Masters and swordsmen and warriors alike, they had all told him that with a clear head he was neigh on invincible, but when angered, he became careless and so determined on the kill that he forgot everything around him, becoming unfocused and prone to make mistakes. Well, such a fury gripped the peacock then, that he was unable to think even a string of though together. It built in him with volcanic preasure, until at last he burst!

With a screech of furious thunder, Shen broke cover and charged.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Sorry this took a while to get out, but with posting on my other story, the easter break, and now I've been ill for the past week... :( It's not been pretty. But anyway, I hope this chapter was worth the wait and I hope you enjoyed it. **

**Please review! Tell me what you thought of: Shen and Lianne in Gongmen City? The Poor? The Ambush? The Kidnappers? I love to hear what you guys think, they always give me so much happiness and motivation.**

**Until next time! x**


	6. Crime and Punishment

**Author's Note: WARNING: Dark themes presented later on in the second half of this chapter! **

* * *

Six – Crime and Punishment

* * *

The scream of fury that exploded from Shen's beak rang through the cave as he raced into the chamber, going straight towards Haun who stood over Lianne's shrivelling form. Haun and the others were momentarily motionless due to their surprise, but they quickly got over the shock and then the whole cave burst with activity in response to the threat.

As Shen made a beeline for Haun, the jackals that sat closest to the entrance quickly shot to their feet and tried to cut him off, but were stopped when Zhan and his three wolves entered straight after their master. Barking and growling their war cries, the black she-wolf Den and one of the grey wolves, Tsun, quickly tackled a jackal each. Zhan and the other wolf Yao propelled themselves ahead, leaping over their comrades as they tackled the other fighters. Yoa quickly pressed an attack against the pheasant, whilst Zhan quickly got straight into the path of the leopard, blocking his way from reaching Haun and Shen.

"Out of my way, _Dog!_" The Leopard snarled.

"Not gonna happen," Zhan growled at him venomously.

Growling back, the leopard quickly leapt into the air, and sailed right over Zhan's head. However, quickly spinning, Zhan brought forth his huge hammer, and waiting for the exact moment… he swung his hammer just as the leopard's legs came back down to earth at his shoulder height. As the blow connected, the leopard shrieked in pain as the hammer hit full force against his shin, almost breaking it, and as it was, his legs were pushed out to the side and causing him to fall flat on his face. Seizing the advantage, the Boss Wolf quickly grabbed at the end of the leopard's tail, and pulling and heaving with all his might, he physically hauled the leopard through the air to land on the opposite side of the cave to Haun and Shen. The leopard looked both in pain and utterly furious as he quickly got to his feet.

"Can't pull off that trick on me twice," Zhan grinned, before leaning in to smile wickedly. "Here kitty-kitty: let's dance!"

Shen meanwhile, had reached Haun, and with his short sword had swiftly struck out towards the mongoose, his aim purposefully off so that the blade of the sword would come between Haun and Lianne, who shrunk away from the fighting until she was pressed against the cave wall, huddling on the floor, watching Shen with wide and terrified eyes. Haun kicked at the blade, sending it up and arcing over his head to his other side. But Shen used the momentum of the blade in order to twist his body as he stepped with it, coming forward, he had already achieved his primary goal of putting himself between Haun and Lianne who now lay behind him. Quickly striking back up to slash at Haun's neck, he was met with the mongoose quickly pulling out a knife and using it to cross blades and stop Shen's attack.

With as little effort or thought as breathing, Shen flicked back his left wing and allowed three throwing knives to fall into his grip, one between each of his primary feathers. Before Haun could act with the blades still crossed, Shen quickly withdrew his short sword and slashed with the throwing knives towards Haun's neck. Eyes widening, the mongoose ducked out of the knives path, and falling back he managed to roll out of Shen's path. But the peacock furiously pressed his attack as he flung the three knives straight at the mongoose; and with impressive speed, Haun jumped back so that the knives harmlessly hit into ground.

Haun bared his teeth as he crouched low, shoulders tense, before leaping into the air, sailing straight for Shen's face. Scowling at him, Shen quickly spun around, in an instant his train was out and hit Haun in the side, knocking him out of his flight path and down towards the ground. Before he could get up, Shen had one Iron Clawed foot pressed against his shoulder, pushing him into the ground. He wanted to rip into him with his metal talons, to tear apart his flesh; but his rage blinded Shen from noticing that Haun was free enough to twist his head around and bit at Shen's ankle.

Shen cried out in pain, quickly withdrawing his foot, and backing away from Haun as the mongoose rose up onto his feet. Shen cursed his low tolerance of pain as the mongoose smirked at him. The peacock and the mongoose then began to circle each other.

It was then that they heard the squeals of the jackals, as Tsun and Dun finally managed to overcome their opponents, and quickly kill them. Not a second after, Yao managed to get a grip on the pheasant – who's attacks had always been purely defensive and elusive – and threw it across the room, where its head hit the wall with a sickening crack. The wolves then all converged on Zhan and the leopard, who were still fighting.

All of it had happened in just a few seconds, so fast that Haun was left looking around in slight confusion, and for the first time, fear entered his eyes.

Taking advantage of his opponents sudden distraction, Shen leapt through the air, twirling his sword as he came down, the curved blade slicing through the air, whistling where it was so precisely sharpened. Coming back to his senses, Haun was only just able to leap back out of the way, his dagger back in his paw and ready to use. Shen didn't give him the time to come up with a clever way to use it however, as he quickly thrust and sliced at the mongoose, who desperately tried to dodge. In a quick attempt to evade the deadly strikes, Haun sank to the floor and scuttled along the ground on all fours. In a flash he was behind Shen and leaping up, even as the peacock whirled to face him. He lashed out, his foot connecting with the bird's chest and sending him to the floor.

Shen fell unceremoniously, and as he came up into a crouch, he saw Haun standing not ten feet from him, dagger in his palm as he held it up, and then threw it. It spun through the air and would surely have hit Shen in a bulls-eye mark straight to the centre of his chest, had the peacock not known exactly how to counter such a move, for it was the one move that he had always practised to avoid, no matter the cost, and so he kicked upwards with the back of his iron talons, sparks flying as metal hit metal. The knife was sent out of its path and spun straight upwards into the air. As it came back down, Shen caught it harmlessly in his feathers, and with a flick of his wing, sent it hurtling straight back towards Haun, were it caught the leg of his pants and pinned the bottom to the floor. Haun struggled to free himself, even cursing as he bent to –

_DONG!_ A deep thud was heard as the Boss Wolf casually hit his heavy hammer on Haun's skull, the mongoose instantly going limp and falling to the floor, groaning as he slipped into unconsciousness. Looking back up at his master, the wolf gave him a triumphant smirk, even as his three other wolves were struggling to keep the leopard under their control.

Shen did not respond as he quickly got to his feet and stormed towards the still form of the mongoose until he was looming over it, sneering his hate as he glared down his beak at the sleeping face. He drew a blade subtly from his robe, reaching down as he meant to –

"Shen?" came a small voice.

Instantly forgetting everything else around him, Shen turned around and saw Lianne still huddled on the floor, looking at him imploringly, her eyes wide with fear, her limbs shaking. Abandoning his would-be kill, Shen made his way towards her, talons scraping against the floor noisily in his haste. He bent down beside her, and using the knife that was still in his hand, he cut her loose from her bounds. As he placed the knife away and she shrugged off her ropes, Shen suddenly seemed unsure of what to do as he wanted to comfort her… but didn't know how. Lianne did not seem to be in the right state of mind, for she was looking at him, but also through him as she seemed on the verge of going into a full panic. Her eyes were wide but unseeing, her breathing erratic, her ruffled and wounded state seeming only to add to the picture of her distress. She looked utterly lost, her feathers dirtied, the cuts and bruises that marred her flesh a physical testimony of the evils she had endured, but now she seemed on the point of collapsing in on herself.

"Lianne…" Shen whispered her name softly, tentatively reaching out with one wing to gently touch her shoulder.

Suddenly, Lianne lunged towards him, and Shen was so startled he didn't even have time to move, as she threw herself at him, her wings wrapping around his shoulders as she buried her face into his neck. She sobbed, tears suddenly streaming down her face, her shoulders heaving as she wept into him, the force of her attack almost knocking Shen off balance. Shen froze, unable to comprehend what was happening and not sure how to proceed, for no one had acted this way with him in many, many years. But, he remembered how when he had been a child, scared from a nightmare or sorrowful from a sad story, his mother or Ah-Ma would take him in their arms and simply hold him. Shen decided that it was perhaps the only thing he could do, but also... what he wanted to do. He didn't hide the truth from himself as he took full advantage of how good it felt to wrap his wings around Lianne's body and hold her against him, bringing her deeper into his embrace, and she clung to him as if he were the only and most important thing in the universe. That empowered his pride to no end, but he was also so shocked to see Lianne, his fierce and prideful swan, was now weeping in his arms. He had never seen her so… _broken_, not even when missing her home and mother, not even when she had been at her most miserable, she had never been reduced to this wreck of a creature he now held, who kept mumbling to herself as she begged him for help.

"Hush now," he whispered softly, and his feathers on his wing began to move of their own accord as he softly stroked her from her neck down to her back soothingly, just as his mother used to do to him, although this felt more _intimate _then that. She snuggled her head deeper into his neck, his downy feathers washing over her, and almost instinctively, Shen nuzzled his head closer to her in a comforting gesture, trying to still her sobbing. "You're safe… I've got you…"

"Lord Shen?" Shen heard the Boss Wolf say softly, not wanting to break the moment but with no other choice as he spoke out. Shen fought down the irritation that he felt, wondering why he should feel it, as it was only logical, Zhan was only trying to get them to safety.

"Come Lianne," Shen said softly, as he stood and helped her to her feet as she seemed a little shaky, and it didn't escape Shen's notice how she preferred to put her weight on one leg rather than the other due to a small cut and bruise. Lianne still clung to him, stiking by Shen's side and holding onto him for support as she walked with him, and Shen was more than happy to keep her there if it meant that she was safe. He then turned to look at Zhan who stood by his other wolves, keeping the leopard under control as they held him down to the floor. "We leave now for the tower. Throw _him _into Gongmen Jail with his sister," Shen said curtly.

Zhan nodded, and quickly produced a pair of cuffs and shackles from his belt as he quickly chained the Leopard's hands behind his back. The other three wolves then hauled their prisoner out towards the cave entrance, starting to make the journey back. Before Shen could allow him, Lianne and Zhan to leave however, he turned to look at the limp body of the unconscious mongoose with a disgusted and hate-filled sneer.

"And bring _that_ with us. Put it in the dungeons until I can deal with it,"

* * *

It was late in the night when they arrived back at the Tower of the Sacred Flame, and the entire palace was in upheaval at their arrival, the royal peacocks had been utterly distraught with worry when they had heard the news from the rest of the wolf guard that Lianne had been kidnapped and Shen had gone with only a small host to rescue her. So when Shen and the others had entered the tower grounds, they were almost mobbed by the onslaught of guards and servants wanting to tend to them, they had only made it half way across the courtyard to the tower, when a voice rang out, cutting through the crowd like a blade.

"MOVE!" came the thunderous voice of Lord Goa, and everyone parted to make way for him as he and Lady Jing quickly hurried through the mass of people, clutching their robes in their feathers so they wouldn't trip on them as they ran towards their son.

"Oh Shen!" Jing exclaimed, her face pinched with worry as she rushed forward, but stopped short when she saw how Lianne was clinging to Shen with a vice-like grip. "Oh, dear!"

"She's in need of rest and treatment for her wounds, though there is nothing major," Shen said softly. Lianne remained silent and withdrawn, not looking at either Goa or Jing.

"Take her to her rooms!" Goa instantly shouted out at the crowd around him, and a throng of maids rushed forward to pry Lianne away from Shen's side. "And call for the Soothsayer to help her!" The swan seemed to be like a doll, doing whatever her puppeteer told her as she simply went along with the servants, it was Shen who clung to her ever so reluctantly, and he seemed concerned to see her leave him as she was led away towards the tower, as if the moment she was away from his side again she would be in danger.

"Oh Shen, are you alright? Are you hurt?" Jing asked her son as she came closer, her feathers ruffling as she quickly moved his head, held out one of his wings and inspected him for any sign of an injury.

"I am fine, mother," Shen said softly but irritably as he withdrew his wing from her grasp. He felt tired in his very bones: it had been a long day... and was looking to be a long night.

"What happened?" Lord Goa asked, though his voice was steady, his eyes betrayed the concern he felt as desperately as his wife.

"We were attacked in the city, Lianne was kidnapped," Shen explained, deciding to give them a very short version. "Her kidnappers planned on ransoming her to her father. We killed all but three of the culprits: Two are in Gongmen Jail, the leader however, I have in my own custody," Shen bit off the last sentence with no attempt to hide the venom in his voice. "I ask you, father, Lord of Gongmen City, to allow me to act as your justice for your city. Give me the right and I will show him justice."

Lord Goa seemed very taken aback by the formal way in which Shen asked to deal the punishment. Of course it was tradition for those who were not automatically appointed by trial or from the judgement of the lord to ask for the justice they wished to serve, but Shen had never taken much of an interest, and when he had it had never been so cold and formal. Usually Goa was a fair peacock who believed in trails, though in this instant, with his son being in immediate danger and his own honoured guest put in danger and obviously treated poorly… It took a lot to make Goa angry, but when he did he could be just as blind and just as ferocious as his son. And he took it rather personally that his guest had been treated so under his vow of protection, and that his own house had been insulted by such a venture.

"Very well Shen," he said at last. "Deal with this prisoner as you see fit, give him Gongmen's justice. I will have the usual host go to the dungeons to –"

"No father," Shen interrupted, and Goa was once again taken aback by the cold look in Shen's eyes. "I will only have Zhan with me tonight, I have had a long and tiring day, and I wish for this to be done with swiftly and not be bothered by the usual foolishness,"

"Very well… as you wish…" Goa said slowly, a little uncertainly. But he had no time to think more on the matter, as Shen turned away from his parents dismissively, and made his way towards the dungeons, Zhan behind him, carrying the still unconscious form of Haun over his shoulder.

On the way, Shen could not keep the events of the night out of his mind, his anger brewing like a storm inside of him as he thought of everything that had happened. Particularly, he could not stop thinking about Lianne's reaction to being rescued, as well as how she behaved on the journey back to the Tower. For someone who took great pride and did so much in order to appear cool and collected under pressure, even when Shen had been threatening her she had only really lost her temper once around him. That control was not so easily lost, Shen believed, and that was why it bothered him so that Lianne had lost it completely upon being rescued. On the way back to the tower, Lianne had been silent and withdrawn the entire time, sometimes shaking, but forever staring out into nothing, her eyes seemingly dead as she was lost to her own thoughts, clinging to Shen as he led her back. Her traumatised state had him most worried indeed. From her small injuries, Shen gathered that she had either been roughly handled during the kidnapping, or had been beaten and abused during her capture. It would have been stupid of Haun to damage his merchandise on purpose, but small wounds like that could easily be healed with not a scratch left behind by the time Lianne would have been handed over to her father. But the way that Haun had easily struck her when she had pushed his temper said that such things were not beyond him either.

But still her behaviour puzzled him… what could have happened to make her seem so… And then a thought struck Shen, something so foul he felt like he would burst into flames from his anger. A rational part of his mind told him that such a thing was unlikely but he couldn't get it out of his mind. It poisoned his soul to think that something so evil could happen to Lianne… and he was more determined to make Haun pay for such crimes.

The dungeons were different from Gongmen Jail, which was held more towards the city centre near the court houses, the dungeons of the Tower were literally in an outbuilding that led down into a form of basement where containment cells were held. This place was built for special war criminals with the toughest security and measurements so that none could escape. The Jail was for petty criminals who were awaiting trail and judgement; the dungeon was for those of high treason, who's fate had already been determined, and when the Lord or Lady of the City decided to take the law into their own talons to decide the punishment.

And now it was for Shen's use.

As they arrived, Shen immediately dismissed all staff and guards within the dungeons, making sure that not a soul was there except for him, Zhan and their prisoner as Shen entered the building, and though it was a small room meant to house the guards guarding the dungeon, on the opposite wall was a set of huge double doors. Shen grabbed the keys and opened the three locks upon the huge double doors that were made of solid steel. The first lock was up high on the door and was a simple turn of a key: the heaven lock. The second was in the middle and required Shen to move a slot across and down so that the doors could part: the earth lock. And the final lock was at the bottom of the door and required one to wind up a pulley system that would lift a bar that kept the doors shut: the hell lock. Once all three locks were done, the steel doors were opened through a mechanism that slowly cranked them back and opened onto a set of stairs. Shen led the way down into a dark pit where the only illumination was from the light that spilled down from the stairs. Three cells lined the walls, one for each side. In the centre was a single support beam that held up the ceiling, chains attached to it. Zhan did not need to be told as he quickly put the Mongoose down by the pillar and quickly chained his wrists and ankles to the pillar. Shen went to the fourth walls that were on either side of the doorway leading to the stairs, where various weapons and instruments were held on display. He stopped before an arrangement of swords and lances, his eye wandering over each and every one with a critical gaze.

"So how do you want to do this?" he heard the Boss Wolf ask gruffly.

"My way," Shen growled to himself as his chose a Halberd from the wall, quickly twirling the lance like weapon between his feathers. He then turned to face the still unconscious Mongoose, and so gestured with his left wing towards the unconscious animal. "Wake him,"

The Boss Wolf struggled to bring the mongoose into a waking state, and Shen wondered if the wolf had hit him perhaps a little too hard with his hammer. But then, as the wolf was lightly slapping Haun in the face, he slowly came to, groaning as he woke.

"Oh… err… wh-what?" he mumbled, words slurring as his body slowly came back to awareness.

"Rise and shine," The Boss Wolf murmured with dark humour. At the sound of the voice, Haun was instantly awake, looking around desperately as he saw his surroundings and who he was with. As his eyes settled on Shen, he glared, jaw setting as he seethed at the peacock.

"Why have you got me here, freak?!" he demanded.

Shen didn't answer, borrowing what he had learned from Lianne about how to make his face seem completely calm and as if he were utterly bored. He only nodded to Zhan, who quickly punched the mongoose in the gut, making it wheeze and cry out from the force as the breath was knocked clean out of it.

"What –argh!" he gasped, his voice rasping as he tried to gulp in air. "What in heaven's name was that for?!" he spat at the wolf.

"You are in the dungeons, Haun," Shen said in a regal voice that impersonated the authority of his father, though kept that disconnected air, as if they were sitting and talking over tea, and not in a Shen's make-shift torture chamber. "And I am the one to serve you your punishment for your crimes,"

He walked up to Haun, purposefully running his metal talons against the stone floor so that they chimed softly, ominously, as he strutted closer and closer, and Haun became physically unsettled as his eyes watched the Halberd in Shen's grasp.

"Are you going to kill me then?" he asked tightly.

"Eventually," Shen muttered. "You kidnapped the Lady Lianne, why?"

"You already know the answer to that," Haun growled.

Shen nodded to Zhan, who immediately punched Haun across the face. The Mongoose cried out, shrinking his head away as his eye was already starting to swell and bruise over.

"It would be much easier if you answered my questions, Haun," Shen sneered. Haun growled at the peacock, baring his teeth as he looked from Shen to Zhan. When the Boss Wolf seemed ready to hit him again in order to prompt him into talking, he quickly began to speak.

"I heard word that the only child of Lord Chang was in Gongmen City, I knew of the wealth of her father, and thought it would be an easy job." Haun admitted, though he continued to glare up at Shen. "I hooked up some old contacts, and when I heard that the wolves had been giving the jackals trouble, I thought it would be a good way to get the numbers to launch the assault. I planned the whole thing: Had people watching the tower, followed you when you went into the city, and then we caught her. The plan was to sell the bird to her father, get the money and then leave China. Simple."

"And when Lianne was in your custody, what did you do to her?"

"Nothing, just dragged her back to the hideout, tied her up and then –"

Before he could finish, Shen nodded and Zhan hit the mongoose again. Shen fixed his blazing red eyes onto Haun as he cried out in pain, working his jaw to try and relieve some of the hurt from where he had been hit.

"There is no point in lying to me now." Shen growled out in a dangerous voice. "Now tell me: what did you do?"

"I told you: nothing!" Haun spat back, blood dripping from his cut gums.

"You see Haun, I don't believe you," Shen said as he turned away from Haun in order to inspect the edge of his halberd blade, pretending to brush off imaginary dust as he made the blade glint in the dim light of the dungeon. He spoke as if he and Haun were having a friendly debate, all calm and with a double edged smile, though his eyes spoke of the hate within. "And here's why: when I came across your little hideout, I found a most peculiar sight, Lianne all sitting huddled in the corner – rather obediently for someone with her fierce spirit. And then I noticed how she seemed rather different then from when she left my care… for example, she had _THIS! _–"

Suddenly, Shen whirled around, and with lethal precision allowed only the tip of the halberd to slice at Haun's face cutting him open from the top of his right brow and straight down over his eye and down his cheek. It was only because Haun flinched and scrunched up his eye just before the blade connected that his eye was saved. Though he still cried out in pain, pushing himself back as blood began to pour from his new wound. It was deeper then what Lianne had been given, and would definitely scar… if Shen allowed him to live long enough to scar.

"You crazy _freak_!" Haun spat as he wailed in agony.

"And then I saw how she had a couple of other little things," Shen continued as if Haun hadn't spoken and Shen hadn't meant to attempt to half blind him. "Very minor things, mind you, but still worthy of note. Like, she had _THIS, _and _THIS!_"

With two quick and precise movements that were too fast for the eye to follow, Shen sliced open a deep wound on Haun's thigh, just above his knee, and then twirled the blade in a large arc as he followed its momentum and so brought it swinging down to cut through Haun's bicep and almost go deep enough to the bone. Haun screeched in pain, blood dripping down onto the dirty floor around him.

Shen couldn't fight the evil grin that crossed his face as he watched his prey writhe and scream. And then he realised how much he was enjoying this… it was completely satisfying to see this hateful being in such pain that Shen himself had caused. Shen had never shown remorse for a kill before, but he had always made it a quick death. This however… this was _fun_! The enjoyment of the moment however, didn't spoil his anger as he focused his mind to continue.

"And then, I got to witness for myself your handy-work," he hissed. Before with whirl, he spun around and kicked at Haun's face, his talons bunched into a fist, the metal almost breaking the Mongoose's cheek as he recoiled back. The force of the blow left him utterly dazed, mumbling as he seemed on the verge of lapsing into unconsciousness again.

Shen motioned to the Boss Wolf, who grabbed at Haun's fur at the back of his neck and wrenched his head back so that he was looking up at Shen as the peacock came to lean down close to him, a sadistic smile playing across his beak.

"So you see Haun, why I do not believe you when you say that nothing happened… but what you did doesn't matter to me anymore," he said softly, almost whispering into Haun's ear condescendingly, as if to a misbehaving child. "Because despite the fact that I have enjoyed our little _talk_… I really must serve my father's justice."

And with that, Shen thrust the halberd into Haun's belly, the prisoner jerking in place, mouth open to scream but unable to as his eyes widened in shock. Shen quickly removed the blade, Haun gasping and whimpering as the blade was withdrawn from his body, the curve in the edge tearing through the flesh and causing more pain and damage as it was retracted.

Turning away dismissively, Shen whipped out a handkerchief and cleaned the halberd of blood before putting it back carefully onto the wall. He then made his way towards the stairs, even with the sounds of Haun still whimpering and crying out from the pain of his mortal wound.

"You want me to kill him?" Shen heard the Boss Wolf ask, who throughout the entire ordeal had watched his master with slight curiosity… but also with a sense of glee. Shen didn't even turn around as he slowly made his way towards the stairs.

"No. Leave him be." Shen said in that same eerily calm voice from before. Zhan then quickly followed him up the stairs, and when they reached the top, Shen turned around but before he closed the doors to the dungeon, he spoke out just loud enough so that Haun was sure to hear him from down below in the pit. "He'll bleed out and die on his own… _eventually_."

And with that, he closed the doors, sealing the prisoner in eternal darkness forever.

As he exited the dungeon, Shen was unaware that he now carried a piece of that darkness inside of him, like a seed planted deep within his soul.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so I would like to apologise if anyone found the content in this chapter distressful or otherwise unfitting for this rating. If anyone feels that it needs to be shifted up to "M" please say so. I don't want it shifted to M if I can help it, but I would also not like this story deleted because of it.**

**So I hope that you enjoyed this chapter regardless of such darker themes, and I want to say a huge thank you to all reviewers, favs, followers and so forth. It really means a lot to me that you read and enjoy this story. :)**

**And please review: Tell me what you thought of: the fight? Lianne and Shen's little moment? Lord Goa and Lady Jing's reactions? Shen's interrogation? The seeds of darkness that have now been planted in Shen? Every review is welcome and much appreciated!**

**Until next time! x**


	7. A Pacifist And A Sadist

Seven – A Pacifist and a Sadist

* * *

Shen waited until the next morning in order to speak with Lianne. He wanted her to have plenty of rest before he would talk about the horrors of which she had faced. He didn't want her to relive it, but he had to know, in a sense he was holding the fate of the two leopards in suspense depending on what she had to say.

He had destroyed the robes he had been wearing the previous night, burning them on the fire when he discovered that some of Haun's blood was upon the hem. He walked up to Lianne's chambers in fine new white silk robes, and as he approached the door, an overwhelming sadness and apprehension came over him, one that he couldn't fully suppress. He tapped the knuckles of his talons lightly upon the door, pushing past his anxiety with a steeling intake of breath. One of Lianne's handmaids answered, and before Shen could make his request, the maid threw open the door and quickly pushed out all the other maids before exiting herself, leaving the door wide open with Shen wide eyed in surprise and confusion as he watched the maids leave. Shaking his head with a sigh, Shen hesitated only momentarily before entering the room.

Lianne was sitting by her fire, a blanket draped around her shoulders in order to keep her warm and cover the fact that she was still in her night dress. Shen gave a soft intake of breath at the fact that he was seeing her not properly dressed, and tried desperately to keep the heat out of his cheeks as he tried to make his mind focus and not wander…

"Hello Shen," her sweet yet melancholy voice said to him softly, pulling him from his own thoughts.

"Greetings Lianne," Shen said, unable to stop the small smile on his beak when her saw her smile for him. "Are you well?"

"I am," she said, before gesturing out with her wing to the cushions around her. "Please, come sit,"

Shen hesitated only for a moment, before walking to her side and sitting with her on the semicircle of cushions that were assembled around the fire. He sat at a respectful distance from her, whilst trying to be comforting by going as close as he dared. It was not an easy balance to keep in mind as he tried to pick out his appropriate seat. When he finally settled down, he and Lianne remained in a peaceful silence, only the crackling of the fire to break it. Lianne stared into the flames, the warmth washing over her feathers as she was basked in the orange glow. Shen watched her for what seemed like an eternity, studying every angle of her. He noticed how the cut above her eye had been cleaned and was already healing, it was only a matter now of waiting it out, it wouldn't leave a mark, and her feathers could help to hide it if she arranged them right.

"How are your injuries?" he asked, already berating himself for how awkward he sounded. How could she put him to shame with this concern? He felt like a fool!

"They are not wounds, only cuts and bruises," she said. "They are fine, so you can stop staring." She said without turning to face him, her voice slightly cold and irked.

Shen snapped his beak shut from whatever quick retort he was about to spit out, and forcibly turned his head back to the fire.

"I trust that the culprits are being punished?" she asked after another few minutes of silence had passed.

"He was afforded no trail for his crimes. The two leopards however are still in custody, but Haun is dead." he explained stiffly, his own dark hatred growing in him as he thought of that wretched creature, how he wanted to make him suffer again.

"That is good. But give the leopards the trial. They did no wrong to me," she said softly, finally turning to look at Shen.

"Lianne…" Shen began almost uncertainly. "What... what happened?"

"They took me to that filthy hole, Shen, they bound and gagged me." Lianne said coldly, though not directed at Shen as she gazed into the fire.

"But did they do anything else? Did they hurt you in _any_ way at all?"

"No. Are you still worried about these?" she looked at him as she gestured to the small cuts on her legs, wings and the one above her eye. "I told you: I'm fine. It was caused only by rough handling. I struggled, and this was what I got for my troubles."

"And nothing else happened?"

"No." she was practically glaring at him now, before her gaze suddenly broke, and hurt flashed across her face as she shifted her eyes back to the fire, almost guiltily for snapping at him.

"Then why were you so upset when I came for you? You spoke not a word on the journey home –"

"Was I supposed to chat with you about the weather?" she remarked almost bitterly.

"_Lianne_," Shen stressed, his irritation growing though he tried to keep control of his temper as he leaned towards her earnestly. "Please, I'm only worried about you. You acted so hauntingly, of course I'm concerned –"

"Nothing like what you think happened," she told him softly.

"Then what _did_ happen?"

"I was frightened." She murmured, her voice slightly broken as her eyes shifted to him nervously, pleadingly. "I was so embarrassed and upset,"

"I'm not quite sure I follow…" Shen said slowly in confusion.

"When I was prisoner, it was the first time I felt ashamed for my beliefs. I wanted to do something, to get free, but I couldn't and wouldn't. I felt so helpless, it literally made me feel as if I was worthless… Heaven above," she whispered, as she suddenly buried her head in her wings in defeat. "He didn't do anything to me, but he could of, and I wouldn't stop him."

"You should not feel ashamed of what you believe to be right –" Shen tried to say softly, comfortingly, but the words were hollow and automatic, even to his ears. And that only stressed the Swan all the more, as she rounded on him with hurt and furious eyes.

"Don't!" She hissed at him, though her eyes betrayed the hurt and sorrow in her soul. "_Please_ don't pity me Shen. And don't lie to me. You even once called me weak for what I believed. No, I couldn't fight back, but that's not the worst of everything. Now, everyone is treating me like I'm a broken _thing_, even you!"

She turned her face away from him as a single tear streaked down her face which she stubbornly pushed away, sniffling as she tried to compose herself. Shen sat there, unable to find the words, or even register his emotions: relief, pity, humour, confusion, it all came so fast he didn't know how to handle it. But eventually, he sighed as he went with what his gut told him to do, and so he got up and came to sit right next to Lianne, the fabric of his robes brushing against the blanket that was draped over her shoulders. He hesitated for only a moment, taking in how close they were in such an intimate setting. Then, boldly, he reached out, and took her wing in his, holding it gently as he kept his eyes on her face, noticing how she tensed when he touched her before relaxing in his grasp, struggling to keep her eyes fixed on the floor.

"I do not think you are broken," he told her softly, and she turned to look at him with pleading and hopeful eyes, but of what, he couldn't say. "I think it takes someone strong to stand by what they believe in, even in the face of such danger."

"I hate their pity," she whispered hollowly.

"Then do not allow it to affect you. If you act like the broken thing they think you are, then you fuel their pity," he told her. "You are strong, Lianne. I have met a dozen noble ladies who would have crumbled into snivelling wrecks under the circumstances you endured. You fought back – not in a physical sense perhaps, but it was still a fight. So I do not pity you. I admire you,"

She smiled at him, a small thing that only touched her beak lightly, but it was enough to warm the depths of Shen's heart and finally put his worries at ease as he smiled back at her.

"You saved me," she murmured.

"I couldn't exactly let them take you and call it a day," he raised a feathery brow at her almost teasingly.

"I don't know what I would have done without you," she whispered, and then folded her wings around him as she hugged him. Shen was momentarily stunned, just like he had been the first time. But before he could recover, she was gone, returning to her place beside him. "Thank you," she said to him with a real smile.

And then, suddenly she chuckled, her face radiating her beauty as the little sound escaped her at a seemingly funny thought.

"Next time I'll be sure not to panic, now that I know that my Peacock Prince will be there to save me." she chuckled.

But Shen wasn't laughing with her, his mind turning dark as the inevitable question came to him and refused to leave him be: What if the next time he wasn't there to save her? What would Lianne do then?

* * *

"Why not assign her a guard?" Zhan asked from where he stood leaning against a beam in Shen's lab as the peacock paced back and forth, his mind a whirl as he tried to figure out this predicament. "I could assign some new wolves to watch her every single day. They would never leave her,"

"No," Shen muttered as he scowled at himself. "She would hate the idea of body guards; she wants to show everyone she's strong, and assigning a guard would only make her look weak. And look what happened when you had all those guards protecting us when the jackals attacked! When they push through the line of defence, she's still helpless against her attackers,"

"So train her," the wolf shrugged.

"She's a pacifist," Shen grumbled. "She won't harm another creature, not even in self-defence."

Shen flicked his train back and forth in his frustration as he stopped and stood there thinking. There had to be some way he could protect Lianne, he wouldn't always be there to protect her, especially if she was carted back home by next spring. Summer was already half way through, and soon preparations for the Moon Festival would be upon them, and that was the perfect opportunity for another ambush. Shen couldn't keep Lianne locked up inside the Tower the whole time, and she had already expressed how she hated to be thought of as a broken thing. But what else could he do? She refused to break her vow of peace, that she wouldn't hurt anyone, so what could… what could…

Shen's eyes slowly widened as a thought slowly came to his mind, like the glow of an incense candle, the smoke obscuring it until he came closer to see the flame. He quickly looked at his train, the way it widened and then how it folded back. He thought back to every duel he had ever been in, how he had used his tail in every single one, he had used in mostly in offensive… but it was also used in a lot of his defence as well. As he thought about it, he used his tail for all of his defence: it could distract a foe as well as block and turn them aside.

And that was it! He had his angle! A grin formed on Shen's beak, his eyes sparking with an idea as he quickly turned and raced out of his laboratory.

"My lord?!" Zhan yelped in surprise as he rushed out after his master. "Where are we going?!"

"To the armoury!"

* * *

"A fan?"

Lianne looked back up to Shen's face, raising a brow at him sceptically as she did so. She held the crudely made thick wooden fan in her wing, it was heavy and resembled more of a block than what a lady might use to cool herself. Thick canvas held together the wooden bones of the fan, making it hard to open as well, it was an ugly thing and Lianne's face clearly expressed how she did not understand why Shen had just handed this to her so suddenly. She had met him on the way to dinner when he had simply dumped this onto her in his excitement.

"A war-fan," Shen corrected her with a triumphant smirk.

"Shen, what is this?" Lianne sighed with an impatient frown.

"_This_ will be your weapon," he explained to her matter-of-factly.

"What?" Lianne blanched, eyes going wide with shock. "Shen, I… No, I-I can't take this,"

"You were kidnapped because you did not know how to defend yourself. This is the time to correct that so that it never happens again."

"Shen, I _can't_!" she almost pleaded with him.

"Don't give me that," he almost snapped at her. "You're the one who said you wanted to not be viewed as weak, this is your chance to prove them wrong!"

"But I won't hurt people to prove that point." She glared at him.

"But that's the beauty of it: you won't have to," Shen's eyes gleamed as he spoke. Lianne frowned at him, thrown off guard by his statement, cocking her head on her long neck as she gave him a look.

"What?"

"The war-fans can be used purely for defence," he explained to her, a whisper of excitement entering his voice. "It parry's the attacks and deflects the blows and turns the opponent's violence against them. You wouldn't be hurting anyone, just redirecting their energy and defending yourself. You could be protected, but at the same time, not hurt anyone at all."

"I…I…" Lianne paused as she looked at the fan in her hand again, a look of shock but also slight fear flashing through her as she tried to comprehend everything that seemed to be happening so fast. "I don't know Shen… I just…"

"Do this, Lianne," Shen said as he took a step closer to her, and Lianne involuntarily sucked in a breath as she realised how close he was as his red eyes looked deeply into hers. His wings came to hers and closed her feathers around the fan as he pushed it towards her. "If not for you then please for my peace of mind,"

She wanted to protest, that this wasn't what she wanted, this went against her beliefs in some way. But Shen's reasoning was sound, his arguments had a point, and when he looked at her like that… his eyes searching her, silently pleading, and when he spoke, when he said something like that… the words wouldn't come, her voice stilled as something in her ached at his voice. With a defeated sigh, she shook her head, before looking back at him as if she were utterly exhausted.

"Very well," she murmured.

"Excellent!" Shen exclaimed as he stepped back, and just like that, the moment between them was gone, leaving Lianne feeling oddly abandoned as she stood there in the walkway as Shen began to strut down the hall, a slight swagger to his stride. "Meet me in the courtyard first thing in the morning, and your training will begin!"

* * *

Lianne's training started off rather well: Shen was nothing if not an incredibly strict teacher, bordering on tyrannical in some aspects. He decreed straight away that Lianne would spend three hours every morning training in the courtyard, and was to practise on her own any exercise that he instructed her to perfect. The first lesson had simply been about discovering Lianne's limits, testing her endurance and flexibility, and discovering the proper weight that she could carry. As a master swordsman, Shen understood that a weapon needed to be the perfect weight and feel like an extension of one's own body, moving it should take as little effort as breathing. Once that was done, Shen had a practise fan made for Lianne out of wood so that it was of a good weight and balance and would be easy for her to use. It was the second lesson that proved to be more challenging.

Lianne had turned up, almost terrified of what would happen, but was too proud to back down and show such fear to Shen. Oddly though, he wasn't the one teaching her. As Lianne had arrived in the courtyard, Shen and the Boss Wolf were waiting for her, where Shen quickly announced that he would be planning the lessons and overseeing them, but it was Zhan who would be actually teaching her. Lianne would have been lying if she said that she wasn't relieved to hear that, Zhan being slightly a little more patient then Shen, she reasoned that he would be more forgiving of her reluctance. She was right in that sense: Shen always sat at a table, doing his work as he looked over documents and papers that required his attention, even sketching as he worked on his current projects, but he would always look up periodically in order to observe the progress of the lesson, and at the end of which, he would give his final verdict. They were never good. Lianne was quickly learning that Shen was a perfectionist and would settle for nothing but the best; he would say that her footwork needed practise, her aim was off, the way she held the fan was lazy. It took all of her will to bite her tongue and grind her beak in order to not snap. Zhan however was more forgiving, as he would go through the lessons slowly with Lianne, and allow her to go through the move time and time again until she got it perfect, always gentle and thoughtful in how he corrected her. His mothering was a nice contrast to Shen… but grew to be a poor motivator.

After two weeks, Lianne's skills had only improved slightly, for she had at first been a frightened hen on the battlefield, constantly dodging and shrinking away, but now she was moving around her enemy, deflecting some of their shots. One morning, Shen watched them, hearing Zhan's wooden dagger clacking together with Lianne's practise fan, the sound of the wood grating on Shen's nerves as he observed them. Zhan's movements were going at a snail's pace, but Lianne was moving as if she was in the middle of a tornado fighting for her life, whirling and sidestepping and ducking and jumping. This current battle had started only a minute ago, and Shen had already spotted seventeen different ways in which either Lianne or Zhan could have ended this fight. The Boss Wolf was almost leaving the mistakes out in the open, as if his form was screaming for her to take advantage. But of course, Lianne never did. That wasn't the point; the point was to make her have an impenetrable defence, and so far she was making mistake after mistake until it was almost painful to watch. Shen turned away from his current documents to watch the duel, leaning his head in his feathers as he drummed his talons against the stone pavement, his impatience growing as the duel continued on and on.

"Okay," the boss wolf said softly, an encouraging smile playing at the edges of his muzzle as Lianne looked at him warily. "I'm going to go for a slash, I want you to disarm me,"

Lianne looked at him, a flash of panic appearing in her eyes before she beat it down. She steeled herself, setting her beak as she looked at the play sword in Zhan's hands with determination, flicking her wrist to open up her fan as she took her stance. She nodded for Zhan to begin.

Zhan, as he said, made a move to slash at Lianne, aiming for her right hip. Lianne swirled her fan so that the bones closed around the sword and she used the momentum of the wolf to rip his weapon from his grasp. But no sooner had she turned to do so, then when she felt the wolf lightly shove her with his shoulder, sending both her and his weapon onto the ground. Lianne looked up at him, confused as to what had just happened.

"Don't leave your back open for others to take advantage," he said, his gaze almost apologetic as he helped her up, before bending down again to pick up his weapon. "Now try again,"

Once again, he made to attack her and she did the same move in order to disarm him. However, this time she didn't turn her back to him and leave herself exposed, instead she stepped with it. But once again, she saw the wolf go to push her over, and she tried to brace against it, but his strength and weight merely toppled her over, sending her down to the floor with a yelp.

"Never root yourself in place: you haven't got the strength or the will to keep you there. Always be light on your feet," he said. Lianne got up, a look of hopelessness entering her eyes.

"You were just as hopeless when you started," Shen looked over to see the Soothsayer standing not three feet from his chair, causing him to start slightly, until he scowled at her ability to still make him jump. "You always thought you'd never be able to do it," the goat smiled wistfully as she remembered times from years passed.

"I was only six," the peacock muttered.

"But you were adamant that you would never succeed, you even once refused to touch a blade ever again," the Soothsayer chuckled to herself. "And then Master Long came. He inspired you, and you followed him dutifully and without question. And you became the man you are today,"

"Yes," Shen murmured as he remembered the old lizard from his childhood, who had come into his life so unexpectedly, teaching him all he knew about swordsmanship and even a little Kung Fu. Other tutors had thought to teach Shen through instruction, where as Long taught him one on one, and Shen had marvelled even at his own progress. "What is your point?" he asked his old nanny.

"Just remember: I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." was all she uttered in a mysterious voice.

Shen pondered her words for a moment, and then growled to himself as he quickly got up from his seat and strolled towards the pair in the courtyard.

"Enough," he barked, making the boss wolf jump in place and Lianne look over at him in confusion. Shen ignored her as he gave a pointed stared at the wolf. "Leave us."

"But sir –" Zhan protested.

"I said _leave_," Shen snapped, trying to ignore the Soothsayer behind him as he heard her make a satisfied hum. The wolf quickly bowed and did as he was told, though he looked over his shoulder at the swan, giving her a fleeting look. Shen then quickly took the wolf's place as he stood in front of Lianne, completely calm and relaxed as he looked at her almost lazily. "Disarm me," he said softly.

Lianne looked at him, puzzled. She didn't seem to know what he –

Suddenly, Shen was racing towards her, and Lianne gasped, her eyes widening as she quickly tried to back up in panic. But even if she still seemed to be keeping a distance between them, she didn't make it five feet before Shen spun around and used his train to knock into the back of Lianne's ankles, sending her to the floor as she yelled in surprise. She blinked in surprise at having found herself down on the floor so fast. She looked up at Shen as he stood there casually glancing down at her.

"On your feet," he ordered, his tone almost bored. "Disarm me,"

Lianne got to her feet, her dread growing. But she didn't even get a chance to prepare herself as Shen suddenly swung his sword towards her, a sword that she was suddenly away of was his short sword and not a wodden practise one. She screeched in fear as the metal blade came swinging towards her, its sharpened edge singing as it arced towards her chest. Acting on instinct, Lianne brought up her fan and blocked the attack, allowing the flat of the blade to clack noisily against her heavy wooden fan. But suddenly Shen was stepping around her as he tossed her defence aside, and stood on her training robes as she tried to scramble away from him, and he brought his blade up to her throat, the edge stopping with master precision only an inch away from her neck.

"Never let yourself be blind-sided," he told her calmly, even as Lianne was shaking in front of him. "Always move with your opponent. Now: again!"

"Why aren't you using a practise weapon?!" She demanded as he took the weapon away to stand a few feet away from her, giving her breathing room as she glared at him.

"I know how to use a weapon, so therefore I have no need of it," he scoffed. "Now: again!"

Once again he acted with lightning speed as he brought his sword in an upwards arc through the air. Lianne quickly blocked him, but saw when Shen made to move around her, and quickly shuffling on her feet to do as he had just told her, she moved with him, always keeping him in front of her. But then, Shen ducked down and rolled towards her, leaving her no time to react as he placed one foot on the inside of her leg and as he came back up to stand he pushed against her and knocked her to the floor again.

"Get up." he said crisply as he turned from her. Lianne muttered to herself about the preening pompous arrogance of peacocks as she go to her feet, scowling at the prince as he turned to face her. "Again!"

Shen made to nick at her wings but Lianne quickly brought up her fan and batted his attack away to the side. Shen quickly changed course and came back from the bottom up, but acting on instinct once again Lianne snapped her fan shut and used the strength of the wood to hit his sword back down and away from her. For the first time, Shen's beak twitched into the beginnings of a smirk as he circled her.

"It's not about blocking your opponent's every move." He said as he spun on the spot, confusing Lianne's eyes as he was a blur of red, before she caught the light of the sun glint off of the edge of the steel sword as it came arcing up above her head down towards her. She barely had enough time to move to the side out of the way, before Shen flicked his wrist and sent the sword swinging towards her neck again, and she barely dodged as she ducked underneath the swing. "It's about knowing what that move will be and using it to your advantage!" he snapped like a commanding officer in the army. "If he's fast, you must be faster and not stronger. Take his strength and speed and use it against him!"

No sooner had he spoken the words then when he drove his sword towards her chest in a powerful thrust, Lianne panicked as she saw the blade tip coming towards her and blindly got her fan out to shield her against it. The sword cut through the material of the fan, but Lianne quickly closed it, the bones snapping shut like an alligators jaws and wrenching the blade out of its path… but also brought her chest to chest with Shen as he stared at her, their beaks only inches apart as she looked at him, wide eyed.

"Don't ever let an opponent get this close unless you plan on slitting his throat," Shen said to her quietly, his breath coming out in a soft hiss and his eyes deadly pinpricks as he stared into her eyes.

"I couldn't do that," Lianne breathed, unnerved but also slightly exhilarated by his close proximity.

"Perhaps, but there were seven different tactics you could have used to deflect me, two of which would have sent me into the dirt and knocked my head on a stone, dazing me and giving you enough time to escape," he told her as he disengaged from her and took several steps back. "Now, again!"

And so after that, the lessons became much simpler, as Shen came became the teacher and Lianne's progress quickly improved. Shen was relentless and drove her hard to be better and to keep going until she reached his expectations. Which were not easy to achieve. But despite this, Lianne didn't come to resent Shen, instead she… admired him. She began to see the perfectionist and almost liked the fact that he wasn't one to stand for second best, and it was almost touching in a weird way to know that he was pushing her all the harder because he wanted her to be safe. Several long weeks passed in this fashion, the summer passing them by, though Shen insisted that they train even on the morning s when the sun was unforgivingly scorching hot. And over the weeks Lianne only improved in her skill and use of the fan, once she figured out the mechanics of using it and the styles of fights that she could prepare for and counter, it was merely then practising her nerve, timing and follow through. Shen was even impressed at her quick mind for once she got over the first difficulties and adjusted, she quickly mastered whatever he threw at her. She was as determined as he was not to let anything hold her back or faze her. The pair also grew closer during these sessions, it was the only time when all of their defences were washed away and replaced with their bare personalities, sometimes this was frightening, and other times… oddly freeing. After a session they would have this odd sense of elation, and when they met up in the afternoon just for each other's company, they would sit and talk for hours, just about each other, until they were called for dinner, and in the presence of others those walls slowly built themselves back up… if only to be knocked down again the next morning. They even exchanged banter during their sparing sessions, and as Lianne came closer to where Shen would be satisfied, the duels became less about lessons and more as a form of competition. It became a game to see who would win between them – which ninety percent of the time was Shen – But Lianne would never hurt nor make any threatening moves, the rules were that Shen was an attacking force and Lianne had to fight him off to escape to freedom.

It was on one late summer's day that such a duel was taking place.

"How many times do I have to tell you: Don't. Be. Blindsided!" Shen snapped out as he drew himself alongside her, blades swinging through the air, which Lianne ducked underneath almost harmlessly.

"You only have to tell me once, Shen," She grunted as she dropped to the floor and rolled away from him, fan snapping open to block his follow up attack and deflect it to the side of her. "Whether or not you chose to waste your breath is up to you,"

"Too sloppy," Shen rebuked as he pushed her, causing her to stumble.

"How?! You left yourself open!" Lianne looked at him, slightly annoyed but also desperate. Shen knew that look, he knew because he had expressed it countless times when he had been training with his teachers as a young child and teenager. Doing one's best and yearning for praise, is only to be told that there was STILL something you could improve upon. Shen pushed his sympathy for that look aside as he pressed forward his attack, Guan Dao singing as it sliced through the air.

"You moved too fast, too eager; it was clear where you were going. Be a blank slate, never show your intention, lull them into a false sense of security," he instructed as he made a lazy attempt at little slices at her which she blocked and deflected with ease as she took in his words dutifully. Shen had to admit, she was nothing if not determined to please, eager to do anything in order to make him praise her just once. And in all honesty… he found that… charming.

"It's not my fault if you're becoming predictable," she gave him a playful smirk as she gave a single flap of her wings in order to take her back several feet away from him.

"Predictable?!" Shen squawked indignantly as he whipped out a throwing knife and sent it hurtling towards her where it dug into the bottom of her training robe, pinning her to the spot. "How on earth am I predictable?" he demanded as he came charging after her.

"You're male. You're predictable," she said simply as she paused to pull out the throwing knife and toss it away. Her eyes widened briefly as he came bearing down upon her, a large swing from her left shoulder to her right hip, which she scooted back from. As he tried to make another stab at her, Lianne's fan deflected his blow and she tried to roll up and run whilst he was temporarily off balance. But Shen was having none of it, spurred on by her statement. He had been taking it easy on her, even if he was still faster then what she had ever faced in him previously, but he was going to show her who she was dealing with if she thought him _predictable!_

His metal talons snatched at the bottom of her robe, pulling her back towards him as she scooted along the ground, making her stumble. Twirling the Guan Dao through the air, Shen brought his left wing out grab hers as he pulled her back to his chest, his other wing bringing the blade of the Guan Dao to hover half a foot away from her throat.

"Is that right?" he almost purred as he leant his head forward, beak grazing by her face, necks almost entwining, only an inch or two separating his chest from her back. He saw her eyes widening as she realised she was trapped, he could feel her pulse start to hammer as her breathing quickened. Shen smirked to himself, assured in his victory as he allowed himself to feel smug. But then, he saw a subtle light enter her oceanic blue eyes, and she looked at him from the corner of her gaze, eyes becoming heavy lidded as she did something he never would have suspected. She leant towards him and took in an audible deep breath as she took in his scent. Shen felt his eyes widen in shock.

"Yes... Very male, very predictable," she murmured heavily, and then, suddenly, she closed whatever distance had been present between their bodies. Shen stiffened as he struggled not to make a strangled sound as Lianne pressed her body against his, leaning back against him as she illuminated all barriers. With her body pressed against his in such an intimate way, Shen's mind drew an instant blank as all thoughts were erased from him, fighting his body's impulse to fan out his train and give a loud cry.

Lianne saw how rigid he had become, and took full advantage as she rolled her hips, causing him to gasp as he stumbled away from her in surprise, and she wriggled free from his hold and put some much needed distance between them. Shen's mind was still reeling as he stared at her, beak falling open as he saw her give a playful smirk.

"Just like you said Shen: Lull them into a false sense of security," she said as she whipped her fan back out. Shen had to shake his head to clear himself of his stunned response. For some reason, he had to beat down a rise of disappointment that seemed to come from nowhere. She was playing. Of course she was playing. What had made him think otherwise?

Shen leapt across the space between them, losing all form of restraint as he allowed her to have it all. If she wanted to play dirty, then he would play, even if he secretly admired her resourcefulness… and didn't know why he wanted it to be more. As he landed, he swung his blade which she ducked, and he immediately reversed his course, bringing the momentum back towards her. Lianne's eyes widened and she held up her fan and allowed Shen's blade to break through the material, snapping the bones closed around it. She spun in place, trying to wrench his grip on his weapon, but Shen spun with her, and to her surprise, he managed to wrench her own fan out of her grasp. He flung aside the Guan Dao with the fan still attached, where the blade landed stuck into the grass upon the side of the courtyard. Kicking out with his talons, Shen caught Lianne off guard as she stumbled, and using this opportunity, he quickly snapped open his train, spinning in place as his train knocked into the back of her legs and with a cry of surprise, she fell to the floor.

In less than a second, Shen was above her, pinning her in place as he had one foot on either side of her wings, one wing holding her throat gently but firmly, as with the other he flicked his feathers and a throwing knife was in his grasp as he quickly brought it down until it touched her chin just under her beak.

Lianne quickly tapped the ground three times, their signal of defeat. As if Shen had left it in any doubt as to who had won.

They stared at one another, frozen for a moment as both needed to catch their breath, Lianne from exertion, and Shen from… something else. But finally, he let her up, offering her his wing as he helped her climb up to her feet. He then retrieved his Guan Dao silently, prying the war fan from the blade as he came back to stand in front of Lianne. She stood with her head looking at his feet, all playfulness, all boldness gone from as she looked as if she were getting ready to be scolded.

For some reason, this odd behaviour perplexed him but also made him feel a little off.

She thought that she had been out of place in her behaviour, the guilty look in her eyes said so, and she thought he was angry or disappointed. She didn't even need to say it for him to know what she was feeling.

"Very good Lianne," Shen said at last to the silence that had descended upon them. He couldn't help but feel his heart lift when he saw Lianne look up at him in shock, and then practically beamed at him for his praise, as if he had just given her the rarest of all diamonds. Shen gave her a small smile back. "Well done,"

She had survived against him, and… he knew that there was no more that he could teach her. He was certain that she could handle any petty criminal or even a repeat of what happened with the jackal attack. She would survive and resist capture until she could either escape or Shen could reach her. That was all he had wanted, and she had exceeded his expectations in record time.

He felt oddly proud of himself and of Lianne as only a teacher could be of their student.

But even though he could just tell Lianne that she was ready, he felt as if… that wasn't enough. Shen was a showman if nothing else, and this needed to be extra special. He knew that he wanted to put Lianne's newfound skills to the test and to give her a special reward as a result. He wanted something special to mark this occasion, before the upcoming Moon Festival, when he was still ecstatic about his friend's achievement.

Did he just call her a friend? Well… perhaps he did. A small half smile creeping across his face as he thought of how good it felt to know that.

So that was when he found himself at his desk, looking at the small lump of strange metal that the Boss Wolf had brought to him from the small mines. Testing the weight, he surmised that the lump of ore would give him just enough for what he needed.

Mind racing Shen, felt his excitement beginning to make him bounce with enthusiasm, as he threw himself into the project. As always, when he was in this deep with his work, he shut himself out from the outside world, becoming totally obsessed. But this time, it was for something more…

He stayed awake for most of the night as he poured himself over pieces of parchments, sketches and designs being spun from his mind like the webs of a spider as he used sheet after sheet of canvas as he worked on getting the right look, the exact measurements and weight, taking everything into account. Then the next day, he sent Zhan with his apologies to Lianne that he couldn't see her due to his work. It would be the first morning in which he would miss lessons with Lianne, and the first time in weeks in which he would not spend time with her at all. One part of him was disappointed for that, but he couldn't let it distract him too much. He then went to the royal smith, one who worked personally and closely with Shen, for many various different projects, usually of his own design, just like this one. He gave the smith the new metal ore that he had been given, and watched the entire process, looking over the smith's shoulder as he melted down the metal to a liquid and began to reshape it into many different pieces that would all fit together seamlessly. They spent the whole day together as Shen watched and critiqued and ordered the smith to do exactly as he was told. Shen wanted this to be perfect. He would settle for nothing less.

When the day was finally done, late into the night, Shen looked over the finished product, and couldn't help but smirk to himself, in smug pleasure. Before him was a silver fan made of what the smith described as a strong yet light metal, one that could rival even that of the fan of Lady Wind Song. His feathers glided across the edge, and he saw the intricate carvings upon the bones.

It was perfect.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry this is a little bit of a late post, but I have just been so busy as of late with University work and my other story, but I plan to get back on schedule - hopefully. Apologies for if there are any mistakes in the later half, it's just that I am exhausted at the moment of reading through this, I may come back later and make those corrections. And thank you to everyone who has reviewed, it really means a lot to me that you would leave such wonderful thoughts. And I hope to hear more from you!**

**So now, please tell me what you thought of this chapter: Shen and Lianne's talk? Shen coming to the conclusion to train Lianne? Lianne's training? The little Shen and Lianne moments? And now, the fan that Shen has made? All comments welcome! ****As I said before, I would really love to hear from you guys, and thank you for loving this so far. :)**

**Until next time! xXx**


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